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 136

Fair

Over: LITTLE BLUEWATER CREEK

2 MI NE LEXINGTON, Lauderdale, AL

Built 1985 Load: 60.1 t ADT: 250

SR 167 MP 49.350

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

1 MI. N. PIKE-CO.LINE, Pike, AL

Built 1964 Load: 60.4 t ADT: 3,920

COUNTY ROAD 93

Fair

Over: POND CREEK

Fleeta Road, Covington, AL

Built 1961 Load: 60.5 t ADT: 220

18TH ST

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

18TH ST * 2ND AVE, Walker, AL

Built 1969 Load: 60.5 t ADT: 2,000

US 331

Fair

Over: SCL RAILROAD

7.4MI.S.SOU.BYPASS, Montgomery, AL

Built 2004 Load: 60.6 t ADT: 2,655

SR 105 MP 3.970

Fair

Over: SEVEN MILE CREEK

4 MI. N. JCT. SR. 27, Dale, AL

Built 1948 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 3,030

COUNTY ROAD 23

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

SEC 10 T14 R23, Bullock, AL

Built 1956 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 290

US 82

Fair

Over: STREAM

4.45 MI W OF US 82 * 231J, Montgomery, AL

Built 1930 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 17,850

COUNTY ROAD 54

Fair

Over: STRINGER MILL CREEK

DANIELVILLE RD., Crenshaw, AL

Built 1965 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 92

COOK LN

Fair

Over: THORNTON BRANCH

COOK LN NEAR BELLE MONT, Colbert, AL

Built 1992 Load: 60.7 t ADT: 220

SR 9

Fair

Over: LYNCH CREEK

4 MI NO MILLERVILLE, Clay, AL

Built 1981 Load: 60.9 t ADT: 2,482

AL - 25

Fair

Over: CSXT RAILROAD

VINCENT, Shelby, AL

Built 2016 Load: 61.0 t ADT: 6,810

SR15/US 29

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.5 MI N JCT CO 70, Chambers, AL

Built 1929 Load: 61.1 t ADT: 2,745

AL-17

Fair

Over: Lubbub Creek Branch

3.0 MI S JCT SR 86, Pickens, AL

Built 1926 Load: 61.1 t ADT: 2,810

CARROL RD

Fair

Over: LESLIE BRANCH

0.2 MI E OF CO RD 490, Madison, AL

Built 1960 Load: 61.1 t ADT: 300

ABERDEEN RD

Fair

Over: WATSON CREEK

3.2 MI. N.W. VERNON, Lamar, AL

Built 1951 Load: 61.2 t ADT: 980

ORCHARD AVENUE

Fair

Over: UT TO SHADES CREEK

ROSS BRIDGE, Jefferson, AL

Built 2005 Load: 61.2 t ADT: 1,200

cr 1494

Fair

Over: BRANCH

CR 1494, Cullman, AL

Built 1962 Load: 61.3 t ADT: 20

HOLLAND RD

Fair

Over: HOLLAND CREEK

84 WEST TO 84 WEST, Houston, AL

Built 1995 Load: 61.3 t ADT: 73

CO RD 45

Fair

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

0.8KM E OF DAILEYS, Wilcox, AL

Built 1984 Load: 61.4 t ADT: 50

SR 10

Fair

Over: BRANCH

5.0 MI. W. OF LISMAN, Choctaw, AL

Built 1948 Load: 61.5 t ADT: 2,890

Lee Road 10

Fair

Over: PARKERSON MILL CREEK

1 MI E JCT S 015, Lee, AL

Built 1955 Load: 61.5 t ADT: 2,821

AL 5

Fair

Over: UT OLD TOWN CREEK

1.0 MI S JCT SR 175, Perry, AL

Built 1958 Load: 61.5 t ADT: 2,890

AL-118

Fair

Over: Owens Mill Branch

0.3 MI E of Crews, Lamar, AL

Built 1926 Load: 61.5 t ADT: 2,933

BRUNER HILL RD

Fair

Over: SHOAL CREEK

8 MILES S HWY 269, Walker, AL

Built 1975 Load: 61.8 t ADT: 100

CR-29

Fair

Over: Mill Branch

0.08 Mi NE of CR-16, Coosa, AL

Built 1991 Load: 61.8 t ADT: 685

US 90

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.6 MI E OF S JCT SR 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1929 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 6,948

US 43

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.0 MI. N. OF WAGARVILLE, Washington, AL

Built 1940 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 8,240

AL 25

Fair

Over: UT SIXMILE CREEK

5.5 MI S SHELBY CO LINE, Bibb, AL

Built 1940 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 2,750

AL-18

Fair

Over: Stream

3.45 MI W Fayette Co Line, Lamar, AL

Built 1979 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 1,879

WARRIOR-KIMBERLY R

Fair

Over: LOCUST FORK-WARRIOR R

1/2 MI E US 31 WARRIOR, Jefferson, AL

Built 1985 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 785

CR. 45

Fair

Over: TIGER BRANCH

0.5 MI.NE BETHEL CHURCH, Butler, AL

Built 1986 Load: 61.9 t ADT: 227

SR 51 MP 56.134

Fair

Over: STREAM

1 MI.S.BARBOUR CO.25, Barbour, AL

Built 1927 Load: 62.1 t ADT: 830

AL 183

Fair

Over: HOLSOMBECH CREEK

1.0 MI S CHILTON CO LINE, Perry, AL

Built 1955 Load: 62.1 t ADT: 450

US 231

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6 MI S TENN ST LINE, Madison, AL

Built 1929 Load: 62.1 t ADT: 27,296

SR 3

Fair

Over: FLINT CREEK

3.7 M N JCT SR 3 & SR 36, Morgan, AL

Built 1968 Load: 62.1 t ADT: 7,205

SR 24

Fair

Over: BORDEN CREEK BRANCH

2.8 M E JCT SR24 & SR101, Lawrence, AL

Built 1994 Load: 62.1 t ADT: 5,420

CO.RD.18

Fair

Over: HORNEYHEAD BRANCH

1.6MI W BACON LEVEL, Randolph, AL

Built 1957 Load: 62.2 t ADT: 100

SR 38 / US280

Fair

Over: VARDAMAN CREEK

6.4 MI E TALLADEG CO LINE, Coosa, AL

Built 1972 Load: 62.2 t ADT: 11,926

SR 22

Fair

Over: BRANCH-TRIB.TO HIGH PINE

5 MI E TALLAPOOSA RIVER, Randolph, AL

Built 1935 Load: 62.3 t ADT: 2,107

COUNTY ROAD 92

Fair

Over: WHIGHTS CREEK

3.0 MI. W. OF SAWERVILLE, Hale, AL

Built 1970 Load: 62.5 t ADT: 100

EASTDALE LOOP

Fair

Over: EASTDALE DITCH

NW ENTRANCE TO MALL, Montgomery, AL

Built 1985 Load: 62.5 t ADT: 4,500

US 45

Fair

Over: SAND HILL CREEK

1.2 MI S CO RD 92, Mobile, AL

Built 1993 Load: 62.5 t ADT: 7,190

US 231

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.1 MI NO JCT CO RD55, Blount, AL

Built 1939 Load: 62.6 t ADT: 4,170

CO RD NO 16

Fair

Over: BOGGY BRANCH

REEDS CHAPEL, Washington, AL

Built 1962 Load: 62.7 t ADT: 1,055

CO 49

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4 MI S E HURTSBORO, Russell, AL

Built 1964 Load: 62.7 t ADT: 360

SR 2

Fair

Over: NEELY BRANCH

0.6 M E JCT SR 2 & SR207, Lauderdale, AL

Built 1938 Load: 62.8 t ADT: 11,570

SR 59

Fair

Over: BELT BRANCH

0.6 MI N CO RD 80, Baldwin, AL

Built 1984 Load: 62.9 t ADT: 816

US 45

Fair

Over: EIGHT MILE CREEK

0.1 MI S SR 213, Mobile, AL

Built 1992 Load: 62.9 t ADT: 16,684

US 43

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.8 MI. S. OF DIXONMILL, Marengo, AL

Built 1947 Load: 63.0 t ADT: 4,060

Showing 8,601-8,650 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.