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

COUNTY ROAD 24

Fair

Over: LIMESTONE CREEK

2.1 MI. E. OF MILLWOOD, Hale, AL

Built 1983 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 100

SR 157

Fair

Over: BRIDGE CREEK

3.3 MI N JCT SR 69 * 157, Cullman, AL

Built 1983 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 15,990

BRASHER ROAD

Fair

Over: SELF CREEK

2.25 MILES NE OF MAJESTIC, Jefferson, AL

Built 1983 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 276

US 80

Fair

Over: BOGUE CHITTO CREEK RELIE

1.1 MI.E.OF AL.5, Dallas, AL

Built 1933 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,080

AL - 53 (US 231)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.2 MI SO ROOSA CITY LIMIT, Blount, AL

Built 1940 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 6,270

I 65

Fair

Over: BLACK CK

.3 MI. NO.WALKERS CHAPEL, Jefferson, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 66,750

US 431 MP 30.997

Fair

Over: SANDY CREEK

1MI. N. HENRY CO. #12, Henry, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 11,800

US 431 MP 33.455

Fair

Over: STREAM

0.7 MI. N. HENRY CO. #18, Henry, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 11,800

US 431 MP 33.972

Fair

Over: MATHIS CREEK

1.2 MILE N HENRY CO #18, Henry, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 11,800

US 431 MP 35.472

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT. HENRY CO. 32, Henry, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 10,380

SR1 / US 431

Fair

Over: PINEYWOOD CREEK

5.6 MI N INT ALA 48, Randolph, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 4,574

SR 10

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.2 MI. W. OF DIXONS MILL, Marengo, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,990

SR 10

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.4 MI. W. OF DIXONS MILL, Marengo, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 4,680

CO RD 80

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

1 MI W JCT CO RD 39, Winston, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 200

SR 202

Fair

Over: STREAM

8.47 MI E US 78, Calhoun, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 13,698

HUFFSTUTLER ROAD

Fair

Over: JONES CREEK

1 MI S OF HENDRIX, Blount, AL

Built 1984 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 128

WALTER MOORE RD

Fair

Over: BAYOU SARAH

2.2 MI E OF ROBERTS RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,293

CO RT NO 6

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF MILL CREEK

1.1 MI E OF EXMOOR, Marengo, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 150

US 29

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

0.7 MI S CO RD 43, Escambia, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,099

CO RD 32

Fair

Over: THOMLEY MILL CREEK

JUDGE LOGUE ROAD, Houston, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 389

AL 97

Fair

Over: STREAM

3.7 MI.N.OF US 31, Lowndes, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,370

AL-171

Fair

Over: Stewart Creek Tributary

JCT CR- 87, Fayette, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,313

SR 176

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK

5.1 MI W JCT SR 35, DeKalb, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 89

AL 229

Fair

Over: STREAM

0.8 MI N.OF I85, Macon, AL

Built 1985 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 6,880

DIXIE SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

2 MILES S OAKMAN, Walker, AL

Built 1974 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 425

US 80 EBL

Fair

Over: KENDRICKS BRANCH

3.9 MI. E.OF AL.5, Dallas, AL

Built 1986 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,945

I-22

Fair

Over: Stream

6.48 MI W AL-19 * 4 JCT, Marion, AL

Built 1986 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 13,191

SR-169

Fair

Over: STREAM

5.2 MI N JCT US 431, Russell, AL

Built 1986 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,090

SR 275

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

CITY OF TALLADEGA, Talladega, AL

Built 1986 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 8,720

SR 275

Fair

Over: BRANCH

CITY OF TALLADEGA, Talladega, AL

Built 1986 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 10,625

CO. RD.

Fair

Over: MARGARET LAKE CREEK

CO. RD.12, St. Clair, AL

Built 1940 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 200

SR1/US431

Fair

Over: BUCKHANNAN CREEK

4.2 MI S CLEBURNE CO LINE, Randolph, AL

Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 4,587

UNION CHAPEL RD

Fair

Over: TWO MILE CREEK

0.2 MI E JCT AL 69, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,750

AL-69

Fair

Over: Stream

1.7 MI N AL-269, Walker, AL

Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,027

CO. RD. 727

Fair

Over: CROW CREEK

.25 MI W AL 117 T4SR9E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 119

CO. RD. 667

Fair

Over: SHUMAKEER BRANCH

.6 MI S CO RT 138 T4SR9E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 99

COLUMBIANA ROAD

Fair

Over: PATTON CREEK

.3 MI N JCT US 31, Jefferson, AL

Built 1987 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 20,885

I 65

Fair

Over: PATTONS CK

.1 MI. NO. HOOVER INTER, Jefferson, AL

Built 1972 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 117,910

US 80ML * RAMP A*

Fair

Over: HOLLAND CREEK

0.15 MI E OF INT US 431, Russell, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 3,415

RAMP C US 80

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.15 MI E OF INT US 431, Russell, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 3,415

US 84

Fair

Over: TATTILABA CREEK

1 MI. W. OF ZIMCO, Clarke, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,500

US 84 MP 219.830

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.2 MI.E.HOUSTON CO.33, Houston, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 16,530

US 29

Fair

Over: BOYKIN CREEK

0.6 MI S CO RD 71, Escambia, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 1,099

COUNTY RD 32

Fair

Over: PANTHER CREEK

HILLTOP RD TO US 84, Houston, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 310

CO RD 50

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

2 MI E JCT CO RD 41, Winston, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 100

AL 69

Fair

Over: ELLIOTTS CREEK

MOUNDVILLE, Hale, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 9,400

SR 73

Fair

Over: LIVELY CREEK

2.9 MI N JCT SR71 * SR73, Jackson, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 2,387

I-22

Fair

Over: Creek

0.2 MI S AL 74, Marion, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 12,500

I-22

Fair

Over: Branch

0.5 MI S AL-19, Marion, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 12,221

PALOS CIRCLE

Fair

Over: FALLS CREEK

1 MI E PORTER ROAD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1988 Load: 88.9 t ADT: 58

Showing 9,451-9,500 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.