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

CO HW 1297 B

Fair

Over: GILLIAM CREEK

2747 FT N JCT 1297A, Marshall, AL

Built 1968 Load: 49.4 t ADT: 750

US 431

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.6 MI N JCT SR79 * SR 1, Marshall, AL

Built 1930 Load: 49.4 t ADT: 16,982

US 31

Fair

Over: PINCHONY CREEK

0.5 MI NORTH OF AL 97, Lowndes, AL

Built 2002 Load: 49.4 t ADT: 1,790

SR 21

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.7 MI S JCT SR 200, Calhoun, AL

Built 1925 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 4,725

RAMP US 11 TO 459

Fair

Over: AL GREAT SOU RR

I459 * US 11, Jefferson, AL

Built 1970 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 5,041

US 82

Fair

Over: CONECUH RIVER

UNION SPRINGS, Bullock, AL

Built 1980 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 7,360

FLORIDA STREET

Fair

Over: WOODCOCK BRANCH

495 N AIRPORT BLVD, Mobile, AL

Built 1984 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 10,918

CR93 ALVIN CARTER

Fair

Over: OLD TOWN CREEK

1 MILE NORTH CO RT 16, Perry, AL

Built 1985 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 125

CO RD 7

Fair

Over: LOOKSOOKOLO CR

1.3 MI E AL HWY 17, Sumter, AL

Built 1986 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 60

Fair

Over: LITTLE SANDY CREEK

SEC 20 T12 R24, Bullock, AL

Built 1997 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 25

DODSON ROAD

Fair

Over: SUGAR CREEK

1MI S OF CR36 ON DODSON R, Fayette, AL

Built 2004 Load: 49.5 t ADT: 37

SR 17

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.2 MI. N. OF MILLRY, Washington, AL

Built 1932 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 1,770

I - 20 WEST

Fair

Over: CITY ST * 1ST AVE SO

I 20 * 1ST AVE SO, Jefferson, AL

Built 1974 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 30,680

COUNTY RT 1

Fair

Over: RANDALS CREEK

4 MI. N.ROCKY HILL, Monroe, AL

Built 1986 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 375

AL9 RAMP

Fair

Over: I85 NBL

EASTERN BYPASS AND I85, Montgomery, AL

Built 1986 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 4,686

CO RD

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3 MI. SE GOODWAY, Monroe, AL

Built 1990 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 150

US 31

Fair

Over: POLEY BRANCH

1.5 MI N CO RD 24, Conecuh, AL

Built 1993 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 684

US 43

Fair

Over: BILBO CREEK

1.5 MI. S. OF MCINTOSH, Washington, AL

Built 2002 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 5,020

CO. 87

Fair

Over: STEWART CREEK

4 MI. S OF WINFIELD, Fayette, AL

Built 1963 Load: 49.6 t ADT: 75

ROADWAY

Fair

Over: Silver Creek

5.1 MI E CO RT 1009, Sumter, AL

Built 1936 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 596

1ST AVE SW

Fair

Over: DRY BRANCH

JCT 1ST AVE * DRY BRANCH, Morgan, AL

Built 1960 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 1,202

NEW CUT RD

Fair

Over: ROUND ISLAND CR

SEC36 T2S R5W, Limestone, AL

Built 1967 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 2,200

AL 77

Fair

Over: I 59

AL 77 * I 59, Etowah, AL

Built 1969 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 12,210

MT. ISLAND DR W

Fair

Over: WOODCOCK BRANCH

695 N AIRPORT BLVD, Mobile, AL

Built 1983 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 3,806

CR-18

Fair

Over: Hachemedega Creek

0.92 Mi W OF CR-40, Coosa, AL

Built 1986 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 156

AL 53

Fair

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

5.6 MI.S. JCT.US431 231, Madison, AL

Built 2004 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 46,257

_VIRGINIA ST

Fair

Over: CSX RR

_0.15 MI EAST OF I-10, Mobile, AL

Built 2009 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 2,304

LEROY RD

Fair

Over: BLACKS BRANCH

.2 MI W OF US 431, Barbour, AL

Built 1967 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 260

CO RD 73

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

CO RD 33 TO CO RD 69, Houston, AL

Built 1966 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 456

AL - 38 (US 280)

Fair

Over: I - 459

US 280 * I 459, Jefferson, AL

Built 1980 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 53,280

AL 106

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.0 MI. E CO RD 15 JCT, Butler, AL

Built 1993 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 830

SPISEY FORK RD

Fair

Over: NORTHINGTON BRANCH

0.7 MILES WEST OF AL #17, Lamar, AL

Built 2011 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 380

I - 20/59 WEST

Fair

Over: VANDERBILT RD

I 59 * VANDERBILT RD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1971 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 76,895

ZIEGLER BLVD.

Fair

Over: THREEMILE CREEK

0.2 MI E CODY RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1972 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 14,762

SR 136

Fair

Over: STREAM

1.5 MI. E. OF EXCEL, Monroe, AL

Built 1985 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 1,120

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD 85

2.7 MILES NORTH OF AL ROU, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2009 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 675

US 411

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6 MI W GA STATE LINE, Cherokee, AL

Built 1928 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 3,733

CR87 CO PROJ 3-14

Fair

Over: GIN CREEK

CR87 1MI E NEW CONVERT CH, Chilton, AL

Built 1988 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 200

US 31

Fair

Over: BOGGY BRANCH

3.2 MI N CO RD 24, Conecuh, AL

Built 1993 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 684

PARKWOOD ROAD

Fair

Over: SHADES CREEK

PARKWOOD RD. * SHADES CRE, Jefferson, AL

Built 1940 Load: 50.1 t ADT: 760

COUNTY ROAD 72

Fair

Over: BRANCH NO NAME

0.7 MI EAST OF CO 15, Barbour, AL

Built 1962 Load: 50.1 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HWY 21

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

SEC 25 T6N R25E, Dale, AL

Built 1998 Load: 50.1 t ADT: 1,473

CO RD NO 94

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.6 MILE WEST OF CORD 13, Marion, AL

Built 1930 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 105

FAS 14 CO RD 843

Fair

Over: LAUREL CREEK

.6MIS JCT CO RT 52, DeKalb, AL

Built 1953 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 1,106

PEARSON CHAPEL RD

Fair

Over: OAKTASASI CREEK

3.2 M N OLD US 280, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1959 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 465

SR 9

Fair

Over: FOX CREEK

2 MI N LINEVILLE, Clay, AL

Built 1925 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 3,194

COUNTY ROAD 14

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

SEC 26 T12 R24, Bullock, AL

Built 1954 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 300

I 65

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2 MI S JCT I 65 & SR 67, Morgan, AL

Built 1968 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 35,580

US 72; SR 2

Fair

Over: SPARKMAN DRIVE

1 MI W JCT US72 * SR 53, Madison, AL

Built 1970 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 23,831

COUNTY ROAD 21

Fair

Over: STEWART CREEK

10.5 MI N OF FAYETTE, Fayette, AL

Built 1979 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 135

Showing 8,151-8,200 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.