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

US 43

Fair

Over: TWO MILE BRANCH

1 MI. S. OF LINDEN, Marengo, AL

Built 1942 Load: 68.5 t ADT: 3,600

US 231

Fair

Over: STREAM

0.5 MI.N. BYPASS, Montgomery, AL

Built 1955 Load: 68.5 t ADT: 32,030

CO RT 176

Fair

Over: ALMON BRANCH

0.6 MI W JCT SR 33, Lawrence, AL

Built 1969 Load: 68.5 t ADT: 197

CO 19

Fair

Over: SNAKE CREEK

CO 19 SNAKE CREEK, Cleburne, AL

Built 1974 Load: 68.5 t ADT: 971

US 29

Fair

Over: ANGELICO BRANCH

3 MI S CO RD 22, Escambia, AL

Built 1925 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 1,482

CO RT 87

Fair

Over: ROCKY BRANCH

1.2 MI E JCT SR 157, Lawrence, AL

Built 1928 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 1,129

1.5 MI W US 431

Fair

Over: ALEXANDRIA CREEK

JONES RD., Calhoun, AL

Built 1958 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 873

SR 157

Fair

Over: BRANCH

10.7M S JCT SR157 & SR36, Morgan, AL

Built 1958 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 5,160

CR-74

Fair

Over: Weogufka Creek

0.22 Mi S of CR-150, Coosa, AL

Built 1989 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 245

AL 22

Fair

Over: FOURMILECREEK

JCT.AL#22*DALLASCO#81, Dallas, AL

Built 1935 Load: 68.8 t ADT: 7,910

CO. RT. 26

Fair

Over: STREAM

0.11 MI. E JCT. U.S. 31, Cullman, AL

Built 1977 Load: 68.8 t ADT: 3,000

CO RT 217

Fair

Over: SHOAL CREEK

1.6 MI S JCT SR 24, Lawrence, AL

Built 1938 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 380

COUNTY ROAD 5509

Fair

Over: RYALS BRANCH

SEC30 T10N R22E, Pike, AL

Built 1961 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 150

VESTRIDGE DR

Fair

Over: BRANCH

VESTRIDGE DR * US 31, Jefferson, AL

Built 1965 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 3,100

CO RD 73

Fair

Over: LOOKSOOKOLO CR

1.0 MI E AL HWY 17, Sumter, AL

Built 1986 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 50

RIVERTON ROSE TR

Fair

Over: HAPPY HOLLOW

RRT S OF ROSE TRAIL PARK, Colbert, AL

Built 1988 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 302

SR21 / US231

Fair

Over: HAMILTON BRANCH

1.1 MI N ELMORE CO LINE, Coosa, AL

Built 1995 Load: 68.9 t ADT: 2,631

UNIVERSITY BLVD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

1.20 MI. N. OLD SHELL RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1991 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 19,015

SR 5

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.8 MI.N.OF KIMBROUGH, Wilcox, AL

Built 1940 Load: 69.1 t ADT: 1,840

MASTIN LAKE RD

Fair

Over: PINHOOK CREEK

1005 MASTIN LAKE RD, Madison, AL

Built 1935 Load: 69.2 t ADT: 6,700

AL-17

Fair

Over: Branch

0.5 MI S MARION CO LINE, Lamar, AL

Built 1948 Load: 69.2 t ADT: 1,542

US 84

Fair

Over: PUSS CUSS CREEK

1.6 MI. E. OF MISS.ST.LM., Choctaw, AL

Built 1954 Load: 69.2 t ADT: 1,890

US 82

Fair

Over: LITTLE CATOMA CRK

1.0 MI.W.OF BULLOCK CO., Montgomery, AL

Built 1985 Load: 69.2 t ADT: 1,170

CRAWFORD RD.

Fair

Over: TRIB HOLLAND CREEK

0.6 MI E JCT US 80-280, Russell, AL

Built 1961 Load: 69.3 t ADT: 22,000

US 80

Fair

Over: ADAMS CREEK

6.60 MI E OF BELLAMY, Sumter, AL

Built 1978 Load: 69.3 t ADT: 5,510

BLUE SPRING RD

Fair

Over: PINHOOK CREEK

BLUE SPRING ROAD, Madison, AL

Built 1956 Load: 69.3 t ADT: 12,300

SR 9

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

JCT SR 9 * US 78, Cleburne, AL

Built 1942 Load: 69.4 t ADT: 8,090

AL-14

Fair

Over: Stream

Aliceville City Limits, Pickens, AL

Built 1950 Load: 69.4 t ADT: 2,377

SR 24

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.1 M E JCT SR24 & SR243, Franklin, AL

Built 1998 Load: 69.4 t ADT: 4,380

US 231

Fair

Over: BRANCH

JCT OF AL 14 * US 231, Elmore, AL

Built 1955 Load: 69.6 t ADT: 20,910

CR. 59

Fair

Over: PINEY WOODS CREEK

NEAR PRYORS POND, Butler, AL

Built 1979 Load: 69.6 t ADT: 1,162

NICHOLS ROAD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

1/4 MILE W HWY 5, Walker, AL

Built 1974 Load: 69.7 t ADT: 145

CO RD 29

Fair

Over: WHITE CREEK

0.4 MI N US HWY 43, Greene, AL

Built 1979 Load: 69.7 t ADT: 2,040

WMS SETTLEMENT RD

Fair

Over: HONEY BRANCH

3 MI NE OF RIVERSIDE, Blount, AL

Built 1967 Load: 69.8 t ADT: 350

I85 NBL

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.1 MI.N.OF E.BYPASS, Montgomery, AL

Built 1965 Load: 69.9 t ADT: 42,250

CR. 7

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF LONG CREEK

1.5 MI. SO. AL. 106, Butler, AL

Built 1984 Load: 70.0 t ADT: 70

US 98

Fair

Over: BRANCH TO MAGNOLIA RIVER

2.2 MI E CO 9, Baldwin, AL

Built 1929 Load: 70.2 t ADT: 9,465

COUNTY ROAD 57

Fair

Over: MANCIL CREEK

Mill Creek Road, Covington, AL

Built 1959 Load: 70.2 t ADT: 100

CO 91

Fair

Over: SAXON CREEK

1.6 M N CLEVELAND X RDS, Clay, AL

Built 1989 Load: 70.3 t ADT: 232

US 80

Fair

Over: Gile Creek

1.0 MI E BELLAMY, Sumter, AL

Built 1954 Load: 70.4 t ADT: 5,100

CR. 30

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

RHODES CHAPEL, Butler, AL

Built 1981 Load: 70.4 t ADT: 217

WILLENA DRIVE

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2512 WILLENA DRIVE, Madison, AL

Built 1984 Load: 70.4 t ADT: 400

SR 69

Fair

Over: SWEETWATER CREEK

9.3 MI. N. OF MORUIN, Marengo, AL

Built 1955 Load: 70.5 t ADT: 530

US 231

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.2 MI N JCT US 231* 431, Madison, AL

Built 1990 Load: 70.5 t ADT: 16,512

SR 251

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6.5 M N JCT SR251 & I 65, Limestone, AL

Built 1926 Load: 70.6 t ADT: 3,420

AL 28

Fair

Over: HORNS BRANCH

3.9 MI. W. OF COATOPA, Sumter, AL

Built 1929 Load: 70.6 t ADT: 1,883

SR 21

Fair

Over: NALLS BEACH BRANCH

2 MI S CO RD 30, Escambia, AL

Built 1930 Load: 70.7 t ADT: 4,433

AL-17

Fair

Over: Branch

4.0 MI N JCT AL-14, Pickens, AL

Built 1926 Load: 70.7 t ADT: 2,500

SR 34

Fair

Over: POOR HOUSE BRANCH

JCT CO 61, Talladega, AL

Built 1984 Load: 70.7 t ADT: 2,708

SR 10

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

1.4 M. W. OF OAK HILL, Wilcox, AL

Built 1986 Load: 70.7 t ADT: 980

Showing 8,751-8,800 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.