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

CR 334

Good

Over: PEAVINE CREEK

0.13 MI EAST CR 11, Shelby, AL

Built 2005 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 75

CO RD 81

Good

Over: BOLIGEE CANAL

0.6 MI N BOLIGEE, Greene, AL

Built 1993 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 325

OLD CAHABA PARKWAY

Good

Over: LAKE SPILLWAY

OLD CAHABA SUBDIVISION, Shelby, AL

Built 2002 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 600

LENNOX AVE.

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

2.652 MI NE AL HWY 21, Calhoun, AL

Built 1936 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 400

Sanders Road

Good

Over: Rum Creek

2 miles north of CR 4, Covington, AL

Built 1993 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 19

COUNTY ROAD 1165

Good

Over: YOUNGBLOOD MILL BRANCH

SEC 17 T10N R20E, Pike, AL

Built 1959 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 275

COUNTY RT. 3

Good

Over: STREAM

2.73 MI.NW OF WINN, Clarke, AL

Built 1961 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 400

COUNTY ROAD 4404

Good

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

SEC 6 T9N R23E, Pike, AL

Built 1963 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 250

COUNTY ROAD 4430

Good

Over: BOWDEN MILL CREEK

SEC 32 T8N R23E, Pike, AL

Built 1964 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 300

HICKORY GROVE RD

Good

Over: GUY BRANCH

AL 53 TO CO RD 81, Houston, AL

Built 1966 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 320

SR 188

Good

Over: HERON BAYOU

1.7 MI W SR 193, Mobile, AL

Built 1986 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,916

ST CLAIR CO HWY11

Good

Over: MIDDLE BLACK CREEK

1.0 MI W ACMAR P O, St. Clair, AL

Built 1988 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 400

AL-195

Good

Over: Blackwater Creek

Blackwater Creek, Walker, AL

Built 1990 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 6,703

ALBRIGHT RD

Good

Over: CRIBBS MILL CREEK

.3 Mi. N. J. Harrison, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2020 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,100

Smitherman Lane

Good

Over: Hurricane Creek

150 FT SOUTH OF US HWY 1, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2020 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 20

Good

Over: JACKSON CREEK

3.2 MI E OF AL 51, Barbour, AL

Built 1962 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 300

COUNTY ROAD 20

Good

Over: PAULS CREEK

4.2 MI E OF AL 51, Barbour, AL

Built 1962 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 300

CR24 HOUSTON WINDL

Good

Over: LUBBUB CREEK

0.5 MILES E OF JCT SR 17, Pickens, AL

Built 1968 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 300

AL-86

Good

Over: Tombigbee River Relief

0.8 MI E Miss State Line, Pickens, AL

Built 1983 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 2,207

747

Good

Over: CREEK

Cr 747, Cullman, AL

Built 1947 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 1,000

CO.RD.20

Good

Over: MORTAR CREEK

1/2 MI W OF I-65, Autauga, AL

Built 1984 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 338

TEMPLE GATE CEM

Good

Over: CREEK

1 MI SOUTH OF AL 21, Lowndes, AL

Built 1990 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 45

COLLEGE ST

Good

Over: LIL COVE CREEK

COLLEGE ST @ LIL COVE CK, Etowah, AL

Built 1993 Load: 23.8 t ADT: 1,145

CO RT 147

Good

Over: BRANCH

5 MILE EAST OF VICTORIA, Coffee, AL

Built 1948 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 250

CO RD 17

Good

Over: CREEK

3 MI SOUTH OF US 80, Lowndes, AL

Built 1956 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 415

EASTER FERRY RD

Good

Over: ELK RIVER RELIEF

SEC27 T1S R5W, Limestone, AL

Built 1957 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 820

CO RD 749

Good

Over: SMITH BRANCH

200FT N CO RT 85 T6SR9E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1960 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 124

CR # 222

Good

Over: VALLEY CREEK

1.1 MI W SR 22 N, Dallas, AL

Built 1964 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 125

SR 247

Good

Over: HENSON CREEK

5 M S JCT SR 247 & SR 2, Colbert, AL

Built 1964 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 1,760

GRAND NAT.PARKWAY

Good

Over: NS RAILROAD

Grand Natl Parkway, Lee, AL

Built 1968 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 1,100

COUNTY ROAD 5534

Good

Over: TRIB TO WHITEWATER CREEK

SEC 15 T9N R22E, Pike, AL

Built 1968 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 275

LOCH HAVEN RD

Good

Over: BRANCH

LOCH HAVEN RD * LOCHHAVEN, Jefferson, AL

Built 1971 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 1,251

COUNTY ROAD 20

Good

Over: BRANCH

.5MI WEST OF I 65, Conecuh, AL

Built 1900 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 460

WINCHESTER RD

Good

Over: PINHOOK CREEK

2166 WINCHESTER RD, Madison, AL

Built 1985 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 16,100

SR 91

Good

Over: MARIOT CREEK

0.4 MI E JCT I65 * SR 91, Cullman, AL

Built 1988 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 2,803

W CANAL AVE

Good

Over: W 1ST ST DRAINAGE

0.3 MI W OF E 2ND ST, Baldwin, AL

Built 1990 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 515

US 231 MP 79.912

Good

Over: CONECUH RIVER

1 MI N JCT SR 87, Pike, AL

Built 1996 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 9,000

EIGHT MILE RD.

Good

Over: EIGHT MILE CREEK

10 MILES S.W. OF SAMSON, Geneva, AL

Built 1997 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 48

COUNTY ROAD 1442

Good

Over: FLINT CREEK

CR 1442, Cullman, AL

Built 2004 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 200

TALL TIMBER DRIVE

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH FROM LAKE

SOUTHERN PINES SUBDIVISIO, Shelby, AL

Built 1985 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 700

BRIDGE DRIVE

Good

Over: CAHABA VALLEY CREEK

STONEBRIDGE SUBDIVISION, Shelby, AL

Built 1980 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 75

WEST LACON ROAD

Good

Over: SALLY MIKE CREEK

0.7 MI WEST OF US31, Morgan, AL

Built 2013 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 440

CALLOWAY ROAD

Good

Over: HART CREEK

3.1 MI E OF BROOKLYN, Conecuh, AL

Built 2014 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 60

CO RD 31

Good

Over: SIMMONS CR

5 M N CHATOM, Washington, AL

Built 1967 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 396

SPRUCE DRIVE

Good

Over: CHEWALLA CREEK

.7 MI W OF US 431, Barbour, AL

Built 1968 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 832

CO RT 105

Good

Over: BIG WILLS CREEK

0.5 MI NO. HWY #35 T7SR8E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1985 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,175

WILLOWBROOK DRIVE

Good

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

O.5M E/BAILEY COVE, Madison, AL

Built 1962 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 700

AL-14

Good

Over: Black Warrior River

3.7 Mies E of Eutaw, Greene, AL

Built 1996 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,875

OLD BROADWELL MILL

Good

Over: LITTLE TALLAHATCHEE CREE

OLD BROADWELL MILL RD., Calhoun, AL

Built 2010 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 487

East Cotton Road

Good

Over: GOLD BRANCH

?????????????????????????, Elmore, AL

Built 1954 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 671

Showing 10,001-10,050 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.