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

DEMENT

Good

Over: DALLAS CREEK

RISON * DEMENT, Madison, AL

Built 1974 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 150

SR1/US431

Good

Over: LITTLE TALLAPOOSA RIVER

3.2 MI N OF WEDOWEE, Randolph, AL

Built 1981 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 4,924

UNDERWOOD ROAD

Good

Over: GARMAN BRANCH

0.3 MI W JCT US 43, Franklin, AL

Built 1989 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 5,060

ELM STREET

Good

Over: BRANCH

CITY OF TROY, Pike, AL

Built 1992 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 420

RAMP 45 TO I565

Good

Over: I-565; SR 20

1 MI. EAST CO. LINE RD., Madison, AL

Built 1989 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 3,027

0000002146125X0

Good

Over: ALLEN CREEK

1.5 MI NE JEFFERSON, Marengo, AL

Built 1995 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 350

CO 14

Good

Over: N FORK COWIKEE

6.4KM WE HURTSBORO, Russell, AL

Built 1992 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 175

CO RD 14

Good

Over: OKATUPPA CREEK

2MI W INT RT 67 * 80, Choctaw, AL

Built 1995 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 2,450

Smiths Cemetary Rd

Good

Over: I-22 at 40 M.P.

I-22 Cemetary Rd, Walker, AL

Built 1996 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 500

CO. RD. 30

Good

Over: BEESWAX CREEK

02 MI. WEST JCT.CO. RD. 5, Shelby, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 1,161

SR 162

Good

Over: GOOSE CREEK

1.4 M. E. OF KIMBROUGH, Wilcox, AL

Built 2003 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 510

SR 162

Good

Over: RED CREEK

4.0 M. E. OF KIMBROUGH, Wilcox, AL

Built 2003 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 250

CR # 272

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

8.6 MI N CR 222, Dallas, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 5

SR 47

Good

Over: BRANCH

1 MI. W. OF MONROEVILLE, Monroe, AL

Built 2003 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 2,680

SR1/US431

Good

Over: SR4/US78

OXFORD, Calhoun, AL

Built 2003 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 40,376

DRY CREEK RD.

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

.6 MI. WEST OF US HY. 11, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2006 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 1,000

I20

Good

Over: COLDWATER CREEK

.8 MI E EXIT179-COLDWATER, Talladega, AL

Built 2008 Load: 35.1 t ADT: 45,888

35TH STREET

Good

Over: ABS RR Active

0.2 MI W OF I-359, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1981 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 7,700

I - 459 NORTH

Good

Over: RELIEF DITCH

.1 MI SO. SHADES CREEK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1982 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 26,365

CO 103

Good

Over: TALLASEEHATCHEE CREEK

0.8 MI S AL 76, Talladega, AL

Built 1988 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 710

WOODLEY ROAD

Good

Over: DRAINAGE RELIEF

8 MI N OF MOORE ROAD, Montgomery, AL

Built 1989 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 80

CR 258

Good

Over: WIMBERLY BRANCH

2.65 MI N JCT CR 71, Jackson, AL

Built 1989 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 25

SMITH-GAMBLE RD.

Good

Over: BATTLE SLOUGH

1.1 MI E MT LEBANON RD, Montgomery, AL

Built 1991 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 112

CO RD 46

Good

Over: LITTLE BARBOUR CREEK

2 MI SE OF GLENNVILLE, Russell, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 104

COTTAGE HILL ROAD

Good

Over: SECOND CREEK

0.8 MI E OF SCHILLINGER, Mobile, AL

Built 2005 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 23,460

US 11

Good

Over: SUCARNOOCHEE RIVER

0.5 MI. S. OF LIVINGSTON, Sumter, AL

Built 2003 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 4,502

CO RD 25

Good

Over: SOUTH NEEDHAM CREEK

0.2 MI N CO RD 41, Greene, AL

Built 2002 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 350

CO. 1174

Good

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

1.0 MI. S.E. COUNTY LAKE, Chambers, AL

Built 2002 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 21

CO RD 9

Good

Over: OLD TOWN CREEK RELIEF

6.0 MILES SO HWY80W, Macon, AL

Built 2005 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 251

COUNTY ROAD 243

Good

Over: TALLADEGA CREEK

.25, Talladega, AL

Built 2007 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 705

CO. RD. 133

Good

Over: BRUSH CREEK

0.2 MI E OF CO.8, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2013 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 135

Lee Road 137

Good

Over: CHOCLAFAULA BRANCH

0.2 MI S W LEE RD 57, Lee, AL

Built 1940 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,738

NORTH PLYMOUTH RD

Good

Over: BRANCH

305 N PLYMOUTH RD, Madison, AL

Built 1981 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 6,400

CO RD 150

Good

Over: BIG NANCE CREEK

0.5 MI W JCT CO RD 42, Lawrence, AL

Built 1984 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 400

GREENWOOD ROAD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.4 MI E OF US 231, Montgomery, AL

Built 1991 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 40

SR 51 MP 50.408

Good

Over: NIX MILL CREEK

0.5 MI. N. SR 239, Barbour, AL

Built 1992 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,160

SR 239 MP 2.807

Good

Over: PEA CREEK

0.7 MI. N. SR 51, Barbour, AL

Built 1993 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,510

US 29 MP 71.440

Good

Over: DRY CREEK RELIEF

1.9 MI.N. SR.106, Crenshaw, AL

Built 1996 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,980

US 82

Good

Over: BUGHALL CREEK

8.6MI E OF CO RD 37, Bullock, AL

Built 1997 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 960

US 82

Good

Over: SIPSEY RIVER RELIEF #3

0.4 MI. W SIPSEY RIVER, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2004 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 12,687

COLIN POWELL PKWY

Good

Over: US280

.8 MI EAST OF JCT OF 431, Russell, AL

Built 2000 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 4,500

SR 2

Good

Over: SHOAL CREEK

0.7 M W JCT SR 2 & SR 13, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2005 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 28,760

THOMAS MILL ROAD

Good

Over: SIX MILE CREEK

3 MILES N OF ANTIOCH, Bibb, AL

Built 2004 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 50

US 80

Good

Over: TOMBIGBEE RVR REL 2 (-)

TOMBIGBEE RIVER, Sumter, AL

Built 2006 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 2,755

US 80

Good

Over: TOMBIGBEE RVR REL 3 (-)

TOMBIGBEE RIVER, Sumter, AL

Built 2006 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 2,755

49TH STREET

Good

Over: I 59

JNT OF I59 * 49TH STREET, DeKalb, AL

Built 2009 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 5,418

CO 43

Good

Over: I-85

JCT. BENT CREEK RD * I85, Lee, AL

Built 2006 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 6,406

BROOKSHIRE LANE

Good

Over: HOGPEN CREEK

0.25 MI E OF JCT CR35, Shelby, AL

Built 1992 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 175

_RAMP TO 6TH AVE.

Good

Over: _I-65 NB & RAMP

I-65 AT 6TH AVE N., Jefferson, AL

Built 2017 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 2,017

CR-386

Good

Over: CROSS CREEK

1 MI. NORTH OF CR-26, DeKalb, AL

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 50

Showing 11,851-11,900 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.