State profile · Below median Poor share

Alabama bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Alabama.

16,205
Public bridges
37.0%
Good condition
3.4%
Poor condition

Alabama holds 16,205 public highway bridges (#15 of 52 by inventory) with a 3.35% Poor share (#43 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 3.4% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 10 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

16,205

Public highway bridges in Alabama

Good Condition

37.0%

5,993 bridges rated 7-9

-13.0pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

3.4%

543 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-4.2pp vs national avg 7.5%

Alabama vs national bridge condition

Alabama - Good condition share 37.0%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Alabama - Poor-condition share 11.2%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Alabama in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Alabama has 16,205 bridges and a 3.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #10 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Alabama has 16,205 bridges and a 3.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #10 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Alabama vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

16,205 15th of 54 higher than 39 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Alabama

The highlighted point is Alabama: 16,205 bridges and 3.35% in Poor condition, rank #10 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Alabama on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Vermont: 2,862 bridges · 2.90% Poor
  • Utah: 3,125 bridges · 2.91% Poor
  • Alabama: 16,205 bridges · 3.35% Poor
  • Virginia: 14,120 bridges · 3.39% Poor
  • Tennessee: 20,379 bridges · 4.41% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Alabama

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 16,205 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Alabama’s inventory

State agency holds 36.0% of the 16,205 public highway bridges filed under Alabama in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Alabama’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 15.3% of the 16,205 bridges with a recorded original year in Alabama. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Alabama37%59.7%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Alabama (FHWA NBI)

Counties (67)

Autauga 118 Baldwin 381 Barbour 192 Bibb 126 Blount 180 Bullock 136 Butler 189 Calhoun 386 Chambers 185 Cherokee 167 Chilton 189 Choctaw 154 Clarke 155 Clay 129 Cleburne 165 Coffee 216 Colbert 172 Conecuh 224 Coosa 126 Covington 332 Crenshaw 171 Cullman 246 Dale 206 Dallas 225 DeKalb 300 Elmore 202 Escambia 200 Etowah 236 Fayette 186 Franklin 194 Geneva 205 Greene 204 Hale 177 Henry 133 Houston 247 Jackson 314 Jefferson 1068 Lamar 181 Lauderdale 266 Lawrence 215 Lee 214 Limestone 324 Lowndes 157 Macon 177 Madison 710 Marengo 203 Marion 255 Marshall 172 Mobile 612 Monroe 142 Montgomery 596 Morgan 271 Perry 162 Pickens 233 Pike 169 Randolph 165 Russell 205 Shelby 344 St. Clair 183 Sumter 241 Talladega 243 Tallapoosa 149 Tuscaloosa 482 Walker 275 Washington 177 Wilcox 168 Winston 78

Alabama vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Alabama on the same metric.

VT

Vermont

2.90% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,862

UT

Utah

2.91% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,125
Selected

AL

Alabama

3.35% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,205

VA

Virginia

3.39% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,120

TN

Tennessee

4.41% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$20,379

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Alabama

Six lowest-condition bridges in Alabama, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

COUNTRY CLUB ROAD

Poor

Over: BLACKWATER CREEK

1 MILE EAST HWY 195, Walker, AL

Built 1898 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 400

KINGS MILL ROAD

Poor

Over: LOST CREEK

1 MILE N OAKMAN HWY, Walker, AL

Built 1900 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 150

CAHABA BEACH ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE CAHABA RIVER

1.8 MILES NORTH OF US 280, Shelby, AL

Built 1904 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

19TH AVE

Poor

Over: MOORES CREEK

VALLEY, Chambers, AL

Built 1910 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 350

ROADWAY

Poor

Over: CO RT 1065 SUCARNOCHEE R

4.0 MI N CO RT 1064, Sumter, AL

Built 1912 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 40

SMITH CHAPEL RD

Poor

Over: MILL CREEK

1 MILE N HWY 78, Walker, AL

Built 1915 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 125

All Bridges in Alabama

CR-49

Fair

Over: Ray Creek

0.4 MI. S. JCT. 75, Coosa, AL

Built 1946 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,201

AL. 181

Fair

Over: COWPEN CREEK

3.3 MI. S. OF S. R. 104, Baldwin, AL

Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,150

RIVER RD

Fair

Over: HENNIGAN BRANCH

RIVER RD E OF FORD CITY, Colbert, AL

Built 1934 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,000

ALLEY

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

S OF S ST E OF JEFFERSON, Limestone, AL

Built 1960 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 180

PLEASANT HILL RD.

Fair

Over: LITTLE BASSETT CREEK

1.25 MI.NE CO RD 27, Clarke, AL

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 75

FAIRGROUND ROAD S

Fair

Over: CLARKS SPRINGS

JCT FAIRGRD RD*CLARKS SPG, Morgan, AL

Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,753

WEST GLENNWOOD DR

Fair

Over: GRIFFIN CRK.

0.2 MI S OXMOOR RD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1952 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 636

ROSELAND DR

Fair

Over: STREAM

0.08MI. W. W.GLENNWOOD DR, Jefferson, AL

Built 1937 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,521

MT. NEBO RD.

Fair

Over: BOGUELICHITTO CREEK

1.0 MI S INT AL 10 * 158, Choctaw, AL

Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 200

US 31 NB

Fair

Over: BURNT CORN CREEK

0.3 MI S SR 41, Escambia, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 8,034

DEAKLE LANE

Fair

Over: UNNAMED BRANCH

4.0 M. S. US 90, Mobile, AL

Built 1994 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 32

BETTY ST SW

Fair

Over: BETTY ST SW * DRY BRANCH

JCT BETTY ST * DRY BRANCH, Morgan, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,920

SPRING STREET

Fair

Over: BEAVERS CREEK TRIBUTARY

.25 MI E AL HWY 79, Jefferson, AL

Built 1930 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 641

OLD BRADFORD ROAD

Fair

Over: SELF CREEK TRIBUTARY

.25 MI W AL 79, Jefferson, AL

Built 1930 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12

CR. 7

Fair

Over: LONG CREEK

2MI SE MT OLIVE W CH, Butler, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 152

MILLER LN

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.5MI N MCCLINTON RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 61

CO RD 42

Fair

Over: CREEK

S.HORTONS CURVE, Conecuh, AL

Built 1963 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 718

AL 219

Fair

Over: TATE BRANCH

3.7 MI N AL 14, Dallas, AL

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,150

OLD SPRINGVILLE RD

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

3/4 MI S DUG HOLLOW RD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1960 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,075

TRUSSVILLE-CLAY RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

1500 N HAPPY HOLLOW RD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1930 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,552

CR-23

Fair

Over: Hachemedega Creek

1.56 Mi NE US-231, Coosa, AL

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 149

CO. RD. 54

Fair

Over: PERONE BRANCH

1.2 MI. W. CO. RD. 55, Baldwin, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 998

COUNTY ROAD 60

Fair

Over: LIT COOSA RIVER

1.0MI E OF US HWY 231, Shelby, AL

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,475

U.S. 98 (SCENIC)

Fair

Over: POINT CLEAR CREEK

1.3 MI. W. OF CO. RD. 32, Baldwin, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,931

CO. HWY. 81

Fair

Over: HOLMES CREEK

7 MILES SE. OF SLOCOMB, Geneva, AL

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60

CO. RD. 12

Fair

Over: OWENS CREEK

3.4 MI. E. OF AL. HWY. 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1999 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 55

CO. RD. 28

Fair

Over: TINDIL BRANCH

2 MILES S.W. OF MALVERN, Geneva, AL

Built 1951 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 550

FOLEY BEACH EXPRES

Fair

Over: INTRACOASTAL CANAL

4.8 MI. EAST HWY 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,943

ENGLETT RD

Fair

Over: UNNAMED BRANCH

+/- 800 W OF SPICE POND, Mobile, AL

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60

EASTERN BYPASS

Fair

Over: PEAVEY CREEK

3 MILES EAST OF U.S. 431, Madison, AL

Built 1999 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10,400

WINTERGREEN AVE

Fair

Over: VALLEY CREEK

WINTERGREEN * MARTIN LUTH, Jefferson, AL

Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,000

SHORT PIKE ROAD

Fair

Over: Bradford Creek

0.3 MILES WEST OF WALL TR, Madison, AL

Built 1955 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 80

CR 47

Fair

Over: UT TO BEESWAX CREEK

CR 47 AT SEALS DRIVE, Shelby, AL

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,000

CR 47

Fair

Over: UT TO YELLO LEAF CREEK

CR 47 .17 MI. NO. CR 446, Shelby, AL

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,000

TOM GASTON ROAD

Fair

Over: COPELAND ISLAND BRANCH

2.0 MI. SW OF CO. ROAD 11, Mobile, AL

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 104

HANGING TREE RD.

Fair

Over: BRONSON CREEK

2.8 MI. EAST OF CO. RD 49, Barbour, AL

Built 1990 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10

COWPEN CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

0.9 MI.NORTH OF C.R.87, Baldwin, AL

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 948

GALLOWAY ROAD

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

0.68 MI NE AL HWY 21, Calhoun, AL

Built 1931 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,800

CR 22

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

0.3 MI WEST OF AL 119, Shelby, AL

Built 2007 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,000

GOURDNECK ROAD

Fair

Over: POND CREEK

GOURDNECK ROAD, Crenshaw, AL

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 75

Redmond

Fair

Over: CANE CK. (TRIB.)

1.515 MI NE AL HWY 21, Calhoun, AL

Built 1936 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 40

BALTZELL GATE ROAD

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.818 MI NE AL 21, Calhoun, AL

Built 1936 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,000

Lee Road 393

Fair

Over: MAHONE CREEK

1.0 MI E MACON COUNTY, Lee, AL

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 119

CR 27

Fair

Over: LARKIN FORK

50' W SR65, Jackson, AL

Built 1934 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 56

SR 153 MP 3.368

Fair

Over: POPLAR BRANCH

3.3 MI. NORTH FLA. LINE., Geneva, AL

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,450

S BROAD ST

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

100 SOUTH OF SIXTH ST, Mobile, AL

Built 1950 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,675

ED HEMBREE DRIVE

Fair

Over: GUNTERSVILLE LAKE

1.8 MILES SOUTH OF SR 79, Jackson, AL

Built 1974 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300

Hobbs Road

Fair

Over: Trib to Spring Branch

2 mile west u.s. 231, Madison, AL

Built 1958 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,300

SR-304

Fair

Over: SWAN CREEK

0.6M W SR-304/I-65, Limestone, AL

Built 2023 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,052

Pulaski Pike

Fair

Over: Limestone Creek

w. of Old R.R.Bed Rd., Madison, AL

Built 1944 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,696

Showing 5,451-5,500 of 16,205 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What to do with this

Use Alabama's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Alabama and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Alabama Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.