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

Twin Gables Dr

Good

Over: Pond

At Dead End, Montgomery, AL

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t

Ditch

Good

Over: Parkview Dr S

0.2 MI S Berryhill Rd, Montgomery, AL

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t

Hideaway RD

Good

Over: Creek

_, Wilcox, AL

Built 2023 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 75

Nat Key RD

Good

Over: Robertson Branch

1.1 mi East of Mt Zion Rd, Morgan, AL

Built 2023 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 710

Pines RD

Good

Over: Jordan Branch

4 mi East of SR 67 South, Morgan, AL

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 275

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Good

Over: COUNTY ROAD

11.39 MILES NORTH OF MS R, Colbert, AL

Built 1981 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 720

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Good

Over: LINDSAY CREEK

1.3 MILES NORTH OF AL ROU, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 670

ROOSELVELT DRIVE

Good

Over: COLDWATER SPRING RUNOFF

NEAR BLD 100, Calhoun, AL

Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

ROOSEVELT DRIVE

Good

Over: COLDWATER SPRING RUNOFF

NEAR BLD 194, Calhoun, AL

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,000

LAKE TO GATE C RD

Good

Over: CANE CREEK RUNOFF

NEXT TO BLD 264, Calhoun, AL

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 40

MARTIN ROAD

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

0.6 MI W OF RIDEOUT RD, Madison, AL

Built 1940 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,800

MORRIS ROAD

Good

Over: TRIB INDIAN CREEK

S OF TITAN RD NEAR 4488, Madison, AL

Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,500

MARTIN RD

Good

Over: TRIB HUNTSVILLE SPR BR

E OF TOFTOY THWY, Madison, AL

Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,000

FORESTRY ACCESS RD

Good

Over: UNNAMED CREEK

NORTH EAST OF 25443, Dale, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 15

F.A.S.04

Good

Over: LICKLOG CREEK

5.2 MI N.E.PONDSVILFAS.04, Bibb, AL

Built 1958 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 266

TONEY DRIVE

Good

Over: ALDRIDGE CREEK

1207 TONEY DRIVE, Madison, AL

Built 1962 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 3,310

Weoka Road

Good

Over: YELLOW WATER CREEK

1 MI N OF AL 231, Elmore, AL

Built 1976 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 400

Peace Church Road

Good

Over: BRENSON BRANCH

SEC 24 T17N R19E, Elmore, AL

Built 1978 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 3,710

EAST PATTON ROAD

Good

Over: GRAVEYARD CREEK

SEC 12 T18N R21E, Elmore, AL

Built 1978 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 300

Rifle Range Road

Good

Over: NO NAME BRANCH

SEC 16 T17N R19E, Elmore, AL

Built 1978 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 4,160

Rifle Range Road

Good

Over: NO NAME STREAM

SEC 16 T17N R19E, Elmore, AL

Built 1978 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 4,200

Upper River Road

Good

Over: BUCKNER CREEK

SEC.1 T18N R21E, Elmore, AL

Built 1978 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 400

CO RD NO 159

Good

Over: BUCKNER CREEK

SEC.36 T19N R21E, Elmore, AL

Built 1980 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 50

Old Salem Road

Good

Over: TOWNSEND CREEK

SEC.22 T19N R20E, Elmore, AL

Built 1981 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 474

KING ST

Good

Over: CREEK

@ BOAZ NATURE PARK, Etowah, AL

Built 1981 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 100

Burt Mill Road

Good

Over: WALLAHATCHEE CREEK

SEC 9 T18N R21E, Elmore, AL

Built 1982 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 125

CR 165

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.6 MI E JCT 88, Jackson, AL

Built 1983 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 89

FINLAND AVE

Good

Over: CAMP BRANCH

1.5 S OF HWY 269, Jefferson, AL

Built 1983 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 827

Claud Fleahop Road

Good

Over: WALLAHATCHEE CREEK

SEC 25 T19N R20E, Elmore, AL

Built 1984 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 330

Foreman Road

Good

Over: CALLOWAY CREEK

SEC 8 T19N R17E, Elmore, AL

Built 1984 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 30

Atkins Road

Good

Over: CHANNAHATCHEE CREEKSPUR

SEC 9 T19N R21E, Elmore, AL

Built 1986 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 235

Venable Road

Good

Over: CHUBBEHATCHEE CREEK

SEC 13 T19N R19E, Elmore, AL

Built 1986 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 60

SR 69

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

9.4 MI. N. NANAFALIA, Marengo, AL

Built 1994 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 1,480

CO. RD. 20

Good

Over: MIFLIN CREEK

2.8 MI. W. OF CO. RD. 87, Baldwin, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 2,237

SWIFT CHURCH RD.

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

0.3 MI. N. OF CO. RD. 20, Baldwin, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 245

COUNTY ROAD 24

Good

Over: MAGNOLIA RIVER

0.9 MI. W. OF AL. HWY. 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 1,759

CO.RD.47

Good

Over: BUSHY CREEK

1.0 MI. NE. OF I-65, Baldwin, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 2,360

CO. RD. 99

Good

Over: MANUAL BAYOU

1.0 MI. NE. OF CO. RD. 91, Baldwin, AL

Built 1996 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 618

CO.RD.39

Good

Over: WHITEHOUSE CREEK

1.3 MI. S. OF CO. RD. 138, Baldwin, AL

Built 1996 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 713

AL-269

Good

Over: I-22

M.P. 62.9 on I-22, Walker, AL

Built 1995 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 6,079

COUNTY ROAD 32

Good

Over: MAURICE CREEK

1.2 MI. W. OF CO. RD. 87, Baldwin, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 1,156

CO. RD. 6

Good

Over: OYSTER BAY

4.3 MI. W. OF AL. HWY. 59, Baldwin, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 977

CO. RD. 20

Good

Over: HAMMOCK CREEK

1.2 MI. W. OF CO. RD. 95, Baldwin, AL

Built 1997 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 1,290

CO. RD. 13

Good

Over: WATERHOLE BRANCH

0.9 MI. S. OF CO. RD. 32, Baldwin, AL

Built 1998 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 352

CR. 6

Good

Over: TRIB.OF PINEY WOODS CREK

1.6 MI.WEST OF MCKENZIE, Butler, AL

Built 2003 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 111

FT. MCCELLAN RD

Good

Over: BRANCH

TRAINING AREA 16 B, Calhoun, AL

Built 1960 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 150

8TH STREET

Good

Over: STREAM

0.5 MI N OF AL 22, Chilton, AL

Built 2011 Load: 32.8 t ADT: 2,900

CO RT 377

Good

Over: POND CREEK

2.5 MILE SW OF CURTIS, Coffee, AL

Built 1974 Load: 32.9 t ADT: 253

AL 69

Good

Over: GABRIEL CREEK

2.5 MI N HAVANA, Hale, AL

Built 1984 Load: 32.9 t ADT: 8,420

US 29

Good

Over: 4TH CONECUH RIVER RELIEF

0.2 MI N CO RD 53, Escambia, AL

Built 1986 Load: 32.9 t ADT: 835

Showing 11,351-11,400 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.