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 RT 364

Good

Over: COON CREEK

5.6 MILES NW OF ELBA, Coffee, AL

Built 1957 Load: 21.3 t ADT: 325

8TH AVENUE

Good

Over: HALLS CREEK

8TH Ave. NO. & 13th ST., Jefferson, AL

Built 2017 Load: 21.3 t ADT: 372

OLD WINCHESTER RD

Good

Over: FUQUA BRANCH

0.2 MI E CO RD 305, Madison, AL

Built 1945 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 420

COUNTY ROAD 36

Good

Over: WEST CHOCTAWHATCHEE R

SEC-22 T-6-N R-25-E, Dale, AL

Built 1952 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,595

COUNTY ROAD 36

Good

Over: JUDY CREEK

SEC-30 T-6-N R-25-E, Dale, AL

Built 1952 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,790

COUNTY ROAD 36

Good

Over: JUDY CREEK

SEC-30 T-6-N R-25-E, Dale, AL

Built 1952 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 1,790

CR-36

Good

Over: YELLOW CREEK TRIBUTARY

1.1 MI. E. ALA. #17, Lamar, AL

Built 1953 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 120

CO. RT. 17

Good

Over: SATILPA CREEK

5.87 MI.NW JCT.US43* CO17, Clarke, AL

Built 1953 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 200

CR 4 Goat Hill Rd

Good

Over: SANDY CREEK

5 MI WEST OF GENEVA, Geneva, AL

Built 1954 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 600

CO 207

Good

Over: RELIEF

0.6 MI N CO 240, Talladega, AL

Built 1957 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 870

ROADWAY

Good

Over: CO RT 1088 ALAMUCHEE CR

4.6 MI N US HWY 80, Sumter, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 400

HWY 68

Good

Over: WEST CHOCTAWHATCHEE R

SEC-10 T-7-N R-25-E, Dale, AL

Built 1959 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 89

COUNTY RT 75

Good

Over: MAGBY CREEK

3.5 MI NORTH OF US HWY 82, Pickens, AL

Built 1959 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 350

HWY 83

Good

Over: EAST CHOCTAWHATCHEE R

SEC-10 T-5-N R-26-E, Dale, AL

Built 1959 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 552

COUNTY ROAD 68

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

6 MI. NE OF SLOCOMB, Geneva, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 282

COUNTY ROAD 20

Good

Over: JUDY CREEK

SEC-32 T-6-N R-25-E, Dale, AL

Built 1965 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 465

PEANUT HOUSE RD

Good

Over: JACKSON CREEK

1.8 MI E OF AL 51, Barbour, AL

Built 1972 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 125

CO RD 89

Good

Over: DAVIS CREEK

4 MILES NORTH OF CONCORD, Fayette, AL

Built 1963 Load: 21.4 t ADT: 100

HSV-BRFERRY ROAD

Good

Over: MUD CREEK FORK

SEC36 T3S R5W, Limestone, AL

Built 1948 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 1,230

MATTSMITH RD.

Good

Over: GREENS CREEK

550 EAST OF GREEN VALLEY, Etowah, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 476

CO RD 133

Good

Over: BRUSH CREEK RELIEF

3.9 MI NW US HWY 11, Greene, AL

Built 1963 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 316

COUNTY ROAD 79

Good

Over: LEAK CREEK

7.0 MI S OF US 82, Barbour, AL

Built 1963 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 312

CR # 29

Good

Over: TRIB TO DRY CREEK

1.9 MI E CR 45, Dallas, AL

Built 1970 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 70

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BAY BRANCH

0.5 MI W OF POLLARD, Escambia, AL

Built 1999 Load: 21.5 t ADT: 280

DUCK SPRINGS RD.

Good

Over: U.T. TO BIG WILLS CREEK

@ WALDEN HOLLOW RD, Etowah, AL

Built 1952 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 980

ROCKY FORD RD.

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO DRY CREEK

0.1 MI E PIKE RD., Etowah, AL

Built 1955 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 540

SIPSEY VALLEY ROA

Good

Over: HAMMER CREEK

4.4 MI N OF JCT CO NO 28, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1957 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 300

NEEL SCHOOL RD

Good

Over: CRAWFORD CREEK

20 MIN CO RD 1072, Morgan, AL

Built 2010 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 690

CO 49

Good

Over: TERRAPIN CREEK

CO 49 TERRAPIN CREEK, Cleburne, AL

Built 1954 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 950

WOODLEY ROAD

Good

Over: CATOMA CREEK RELIEF

23.6 MI N PIKE CO LINE, Montgomery, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 900

TROTMAN RD

Good

Over: CATOMA CRK RELIEF

1.9 MI E OF WOODLEYRD, Montgomery, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 1,000

MACON COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: MATHEWS SLOUGH

1.3 MI E OF US 110, Montgomery, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 286

MACON COUNTY ROAD

Good

Over: JOHNSONS CRK RELIEF

1.5 E OF 110, Montgomery, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 280

MACON CO. ROAD

Good

Over: JOHNSONS CREEK

1.7 MI. E AL 110, Montgomery, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 280

MACON CO. ROAD

Good

Over: LINE CREEK RELIEF

2.9 MI E 110, Montgomery, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 280

MACON CO. RD.

Good

Over: LINE CREEK

3.1 MI E AL 110, Montgomery, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 280

WASDEN RD

Good

Over: PINTLALA CRK RELIEF

.6 MI N CO LINE, Montgomery, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 460

CO RD 115

Good

Over: CREEK

3.8 MI N NEW WEST GREENE, Greene, AL

Built 1964 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 125

CO RT 109

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.81 MI SOUTH OF ROETON, Coffee, AL

Built 1966 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 260

CO RT 346

Good

Over: REEDY CREEK

3.5 MILES SOUTH OF NEWBY, Coffee, AL

Built 1967 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 125

AL 28

Good

Over: HOLETAH CREEK

2.5 W. OF LIVINGSTON, Sumter, AL

Built 1993 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 4,144

_CO RT 215

Good

Over: _shoal creek

_3 miles west of victoria, Coffee, AL

Built 2018 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 360

CO 045

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.1 MI S FIVE POINT, Talladega, AL

Built 1950 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,490

CO. HWY. 22

Good

Over: SHOAL CREEK

0.64 MI. E JCT. CO. 17, Shelby, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 2,228

WOODLEY ROAD

Good

Over: CATOMA CREEK RELIEF

24.0 MI N PIKE CO LINE, Montgomery, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 900

BRADFORD RD

Good

Over: MARTIN BR

SEC28 T3S R3W, Limestone, AL

Built 1960 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 250

CO 326

Good

Over: CHOCCOLOCCO CREEK

8.0 MI N TALLADEGA, Talladega, AL

Built 1965 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 915

CR. 7

Good

Over: BRANCH OF PERSIMMONCREEK

1.0 MI. NW GARLAND, Butler, AL

Built 1978 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 337

ROADWAY

Good

Over: CO RT 1106 MILL CREEK

0.7 MI NE AL HWY 28, Sumter, AL

Built 1957 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 35

Hickory Street

Good

Over: Black Creek

Hickory Street @ Black Ck, Etowah, AL

Built 2014 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,500

Showing 9,801-9,850 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.