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

SR 20

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RR

0.5 MI E JCT SR 2 & SR 13, Colbert, AL

Built 1993 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 8,645

CO RD 18

Fair

Over: BOGUELOOSA CREEK

2.3MI W INT AL17 * RT120, Choctaw, AL

Built 1996 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 328

I - 59 SOUTH

Fair

Over: LITTLE CANOE CREEK

ETOWAH * ST CLAIR CO LINE, St. Clair, AL

Built 1997 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 13,160

AL - 150

Fair

Over: PATTON CREEK

AL 150 OVER PATTON CREEK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1998 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 29,710

US 29

Fair

Over: GOOSENECK BRANCH

6.4 MI S CO RD 22, Escambia, AL

Built 2001 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 1,642

US 431

Fair

Over: WEOLUSTEE CREEK

.5 MI. NORTH CO. RD. 4, Russell, AL

Built 2005 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 3,900

US 431

Fair

Over: WEOLUSTEE CREEK

.5 MI. NORTH CO. RD. 4, Russell, AL

Built 2005 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 3,900

LEROY STEVENS ROAD

Fair

Over: HALLS MILL CREEK

1.19 MI S OF COTTAGE HILL, Mobile, AL

Built 2013 Load: 39.8 t ADT: 4,444

NORMAN BRIDGE ROA

Fair

Over: AUDUBON DITCH

1.5 MI.N.OF US 331, Montgomery, AL

Built 1920 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,610

AL 17

Fair

Over: UT CANEY CREEK

GEIGER, Sumter, AL

Built 1940 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,537

BRADFORD ROAD

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

0.2 MI NE CROSSTON JCT, Jefferson, AL

Built 1940 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,500

SR 75

Fair

Over: BLACK OAK CREEK

6.3 MI S JCT SR 35, DeKalb, AL

Built 1942 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 7,564

SR 134 MP 15.930

Fair

Over: TIGHT EYE CREEK

1 MI. E. JCT. SR 87, Coffee, AL

Built 1948 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,050

SR 168

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

1 MI E JCT SR 75 * SR 168, Marshall, AL

Built 1948 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 3,277

SR 46

Fair

Over: I-20

JCT I-20 AND SR46, Cleburne, AL

Built 1970 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,863

I 59/20 SOUTH

Fair

Over: L * N * SOU RRS

I 59 * L * N SOU RRS, Jefferson, AL

Built 1971 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 76,895

CO RD 66

Fair

Over: I-20

7.2 MI E JCT AL 46, Cleburne, AL

Built 1973 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 670

I - 459 SOUTH

Fair

Over: OLD ROCKY RIDGE RD

I 459 * ROCKY RIDGE ROAD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1980 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 51,820

2ND ST SW

Fair

Over: DRY BRANCH

JCT 2ND ST * DRY BRANCH, Morgan, AL

Built 1980 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 11,372

CHAPMAN RD

Fair

Over: MCGEHEE CREEK

1.5 M E SKEGGS X ROADS, Clay, AL

Built 1981 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 21

ST CLAIR CO HWY13

Fair

Over: KELLY CREEK

0.1 MI N PRESCOTT CHURCH, St. Clair, AL

Built 1981 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,233

MCGOUGH RD.

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

MCGOUGH RD., Crenshaw, AL

Built 1983 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 75

PELZER AVE

Fair

Over: THREE MI BRANCH

250 FT E OF COLISEUM BLVD, Montgomery, AL

Built 1984 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,500

SR 101

Fair

Over: SPRINGFIELD BRANCH

2.4 M N JCT SR 101 & SR 2, Lauderdale, AL

Built 1984 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 4,561

US 431

Fair

Over: WATERMELON CREEK

3.8 MI N OF PITTSVIEW, Russell, AL

Built 1985 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 8,100

BUFFORD RD

Fair

Over: BIG BRANCH

1.31 MILES NORTH SR8/US80, Macon, AL

Built 1989 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 52

MCVAY DRIVE

Fair

Over: BOLTON BRANCH

300 WEST OF NAVCO RD, Mobile, AL

Built 2001 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 13,287

Barrineau Park Rd

Fair

Over: Perdido River

0.5Mi SW of CR 99, Baldwin, AL

Built 2005 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 500

617

Fair

Over: BRANCH

CR 617, Cullman, AL

Built 1946 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTRY CLUB ROAD

Fair

Over: HORSETROUGH CREEK

.4 M S COUNTRY CLUB, Clay, AL

Built 1964 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 19

I - 59 SOUTH

Fair

Over: AVIATION AVE

AVIATION AVE, Jefferson, AL

Built 1974 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 38,900

ROAD

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

BR. CULVT. ON PAVEDRD. 75, Henry, AL

Built 1974 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 250

JOHNSON ROAD W

Fair

Over: MILLER CREEK

1.2 MI N JEFF HAMILTON RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1992 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 120

CO. RD. 21

Fair

Over: RICE CREEK

1.7 MI. N. OF AL. HWY. 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1994 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 747

Future AL-102

Fair

Over: I-22

AL-102 over I-22, Walker, AL

Built 2000 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 1,218

ANTEBELLUM BLVD.

Fair

Over: FOOT LOG BRANCH

0.4 M. N. OF BROMLEY RD., Baldwin, AL

Built 2007 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 53

UNIVERSITY DRIVE

Fair

Over: CREEK

MONTGOMERY, Montgomery, AL

Built 1985 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 1,000

SR21 / US231

Fair

Over: SWAMP CREEK

6 MI N ELMORE CO LINE, Coosa, AL

Built 1938 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 2,636

US 231 MP 24.616

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.6 MI. N. ROSS CLARK CIRC, Houston, AL

Built 1925 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 37,220

SR 106 MP 31.280

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.6 MI.E.BUTLER LINE, Crenshaw, AL

Built 1956 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 630

CO RD 18

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.5 MI W INT RT 113 * 105, Choctaw, AL

Built 1959 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 1,475

SR 243

Fair

Over: BIG BEAR CREEK

5 M N JCT SR243 & SR195, Franklin, AL

Built 1962 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 1,600

CO. 263

Fair

Over: VEASEY CREEK

1 MI. N.E. FREDONIA, Chambers, AL

Built 1962 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 199

cr 1634

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

CR 1634, Cullman, AL

Built 1969 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 60

US 43

Fair

Over: LITTLE PAUL BAYOU

1.8 MI.N.OF CALVERT, Washington, AL

Built 1979 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 12,360

NORTH POPLAR ST.

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK

0.2 MI N US 98, Baldwin, AL

Built 1987 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 1,420

222

Fair

Over: BRANCH

Cr 222, Cullman, AL

Built 1949 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 2,200

STEVENS MEM CR46

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

STEVENS MEM. RD 3, Perry, AL

Built 1967 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 120

AL - 5 (US 78)

Fair

Over: SECOND CREEK

@ ADAMSVILLE CITY LIMITS, Jefferson, AL

Built 1939 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 34,980

AL-19

Fair

Over: I-22

JCT AL-19 AND AL-4, Marion, AL

Built 1988 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 517

Showing 7,001-7,050 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.