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

SR 3

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

3.5 M S JCT SR 3 & SR 36, Morgan, AL

Built 1953 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 4,335

HWY 16

Good

Over: PINE LOG BRANCH

2 MI S OF SLOCOMB, Geneva, AL

Built 1970 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 450

SR 281

Good

Over: AL4/US 78

1.0 MI E CALHOUN CO LINE, Cleburne, AL

Built 1979 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 95

CO. 83

Good

Over: OSANIPPA CREEK

1. 4 MI. N. W. CUSSETA, Chambers, AL

Built 1983 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,149

I 759

Good

Over: BIG WILLS CK RELIEF

I-759 * BIG WILLS CK REL, Etowah, AL

Built 1984 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 10,214

I 759

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

I 759 * BLACK CREEK, Etowah, AL

Built 1985 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 20,428

I-565

Good

Over: BRADFORD CREEK

1.7 MI E COUNTY LINE ROAD, Madison, AL

Built 1988 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 65,092

SR 28

Good

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

1.8 MI. E. OF DARLIINGTON, Wilcox, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,080

SR 10 MP 210.854

Good

Over: CHOCTAWHATCHEE R. RELIEF

4.6 MI.E. SR 105, Henry, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,710

SR 21

Good

Over: PINE BARREN CREEK REL.

3.8 MI.S.OF SNOW HILL, Wilcox, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,210

SR 27 MP 33.615

Good

Over: BOWLES CREEK

0.5 MI.N.COFFEE 156, Coffee, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 2,620

SR 27 MP 41.843

Good

Over: CLAYBANK CREEK

2.5 MI.S. U.S. 231, Dale, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 2,710

SR 27 MP 42.302

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

2 MI. S. JCT. US 231, Dale, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 2,570

SR 27 MP 67.388

Good

Over: EAST CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIV

0.8 MI.N.HENRY CO.#7, Henry, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 840

SR 27 MP 67.488

Good

Over: POOR CREEK

0.9 MI.N.HENRY CO.7, Henry, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 840

SR 27 MP 67.667

Good

Over: EAST FORK CHOCT. RV.RELF

1.1 MI.N.HENRY CO.7, Henry, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 840

SR 41

Good

Over: FLAT CREEK

1.0 MI. N. OF FOUNTAIN, Monroe, AL

Built 1989 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,480

SR 28

Good

Over: CHICKASAW BOGUE REL.

2.3 MI. W. OF LINDEN, Marengo, AL

Built 1992 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,870

SR 130 MP 5.614

Good

Over: BUCKHORN CREEK

1.9 MI.E.PIKE CO. 85, Pike, AL

Built 1993 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 900

SR 154

Good

Over: HARRIS CREEK

7.8 MI. E. OF COFFEEVILLE, Clarke, AL

Built 1993 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 170

SR-85 MP 10.430

Good

Over: WILKERSON CREEK

IN BELLWOOD, Geneva, AL

Built 1994 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,900

EXT OF SR 275

Good

Over: STREAM

CITY OF TALLADEGA, Talladega, AL

Built 2007 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 7,869

ALA. RIVER PARKWAY

Good

Over: CREEK

1.7 MI.E.OF ALA. RIVER, Montgomery, AL

Built 1997 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 5,000

CO. 1099

Good

Over: CATY CREEK

1.4 MI. N.E. RED LEVEL, Chambers, AL

Built 2002 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 23

NATCHEZ HWY

Good

Over: FLAT CREEK

1.3 MI S. US98, Mobile, AL

Built 2004 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 1,843

PAT DEAN DR.

Good

Over: RUBE BRANCH

_, Madison, AL

Built 2011 Load: 30.3 t ADT: 100

US 29 MP 70.995

Good

Over: POSSUM BRANCH

1.4 MI. N. SR 106, Crenshaw, AL

Built 1923 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 1,980

COUNTY ROUTE 23

Good

Over: WET WEATHER CREEK

1/4 MILE EAST FRISCO CITY, Monroe, AL

Built 1995 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 1,270

4TH AVE BESSEMER

Good

Over: HALLS CREEK TRIBUTARY

500 S DIVISION STREET, Jefferson, AL

Built 1950 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 9,615

COUNTY ROAD 433

Good

Over: BLUE EYE

0.3 MI E CO 456 PATTONS C, Talladega, AL

Built 1950 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 745

CHEROKEE #41

Good

Over: BRANCH

3 MI NE JCT SR 35, Cherokee, AL

Built 1952 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 445

CO. RT. 48

Good

Over: LONG BRANCH

1.06 MI.E MORVIN, Clarke, AL

Built 1955 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 650

COUNTY ROAD 24

Good

Over: CLAYBANK CREEK

SEC-27 T-4-N R-23-E, Dale, AL

Built 1968 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 1,406

RUSSELVILLE RD

Good

Over: TANYARD CREEK

RUSSELVILLE RD * CHEROKEE, Walker, AL

Built 1972 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 400

COUNTY ROAD 20

Good

Over: W CHOCTAWHATCHEE RIVER

SEC-28 T-5-N R-25-E, Dale, AL

Built 1973 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 465

CO.RD. 138

Good

Over: WHITEHOUSE CREEK

1.5 MI. SW. OF U.S. 31, Baldwin, AL

Built 1992 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 2,734

OLD TUSCALOOSA HWY

Good

Over: FIVEMILE CREEK TRIBUTARY

1000 SW I-459, Jefferson, AL

Built 1950 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 6,400

MUDD STREET

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

MUDD ST. (BIG), Calhoun, AL

Built 2005 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 2,239

FORTNER SREET

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

CIRCLE TO PILGRAM REST CH, Houston, AL

Built 2010 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 1,150

OLD PASCAGOULA RD

Good

Over: JACKSON CREEK

1.0 MI W OF MARCH RD, Mobile, AL

Built 2015 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 4,588

COUNTY RD 11

Good

Over: LITTLE CYPRESS CREEK

1.3 MI W INT SR 17, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2013 Load: 30.4 t ADT: 156

CO. RT. 27

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

2.99 MI.N TVILLE CT.LTS, Clarke, AL

Built 1924 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 300

COUNTY HWY 1283

Good

Over: BRANCH

4072 FT N JCT 1285, Marshall, AL

Built 1980 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 2243

Good

Over: ELAM BRANCH

SEC 26 T9N R19E, Pike, AL

Built 1952 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 1,500

COUNTY ROAD 6627

Good

Over: CONNERS CREEK

SEC 24 T10N R23E, Pike, AL

Built 1961 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 225

COUNTY ROAD 5522

Good

Over: BEAVER POND BRANCH

SEC 17 T9N R22E, Pike, AL

Built 1969 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 150

US 82

Good

Over: HAYSOP CREEK

EOLINE, Bibb, AL

Built 1981 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 2,610

CO.RD.55

Good

Over: POLECAT CREEK

3.2 MI. S. OF S. R. 104, Baldwin, AL

Built 1983 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 3,701

OLD BATESVILLE RD

Good

Over: U.T. BARBOUR CREEK

8.0 MI W OF END OF CO 93, Barbour, AL

Built 1992 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 50

AL 123 4.500

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

0.2MI S CONO44, Geneva, AL

Built 2002 Load: 30.5 t ADT: 2,470

Showing 10,801-10,850 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.