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 79

Good

Over: BRANCH

1 MI.S.W.ASBURY CHURCH, Conecuh, AL

Built 1965 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 79

CO RD (Gee Lane)

Good

Over: I-59 (MP 66.34)

2.2 MI N WARRIOR RIVER, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1969 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 340

ACCESS DRIVE

Good

Over: BROGLAN BRANCH

SW COR SPARKMAN DR*JOR LN, Madison, AL

Built 1972 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 50

AL 300

Good

Over: I-59

1.0 MI E OF FOSTERS, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1974 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 3,418

CO. 48

Good

Over: COUNTY LINE CREEK

1.3 MI. E. TALL. CO. LINE, Chambers, AL

Built 1980 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 632

CO. 11

Good

Over: LITTLE SANDY CREEK

3.6 MI. N. E. WAVERLY, Chambers, AL

Built 1981 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 185

CO. 51

Good

Over: COUNTY LINE CREEK

0.1 MI. E. TAL. CO. LINE, Chambers, AL

Built 1981 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 145

CO. 53

Good

Over: HOOTALOOCCO CREEK

1MI. N. MARCOOT, Chambers, AL

Built 1981 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 142

CR. 67

Good

Over: STRINGER MILL CREEK

0.2 MI.S.SPRING CREEK CH., Butler, AL

Built 1982 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 179

CO. 281

Good

Over: STROUD CREEK

2 MI. S. HICKORY FLAT, Chambers, AL

Built 1983 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 160

PATTERSON LA

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

0.8 MI W JCT CO RD 138, Madison, AL

Built 1946 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 2,476

AL-96

Good

Over: Trib. of Luxapallila Ck.

2.5 MI W Fayette City Lim, Fayette, AL

Built 1984 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 1,846

COUNTY LINE RD.

Good

Over: BRANCH

COUNTY LINE RD., Calhoun, AL

Built 1940 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 183

CO. 12

Good

Over: BRANCH

2 MI. S.E. KENDALL C.R., Chambers, AL

Built 1985 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 52

US 84

Good

Over: EBERLEIN MILL CREEK

0.5 MI. E. OF COFFEEVILLE, Clarke, AL

Built 1985 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 1,500

TANNER WILLIAMS RD

Good

Over: PIERCE CREEK

1.0 MI E OF SNOW RD, Mobile, AL

Built 1990 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 10,781

SR 189 MP 32.177

Good

Over: MOODYS MILL CREEK

1.0 MI. S. U.S. 331, Crenshaw, AL

Built 1990 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 910

OLD SUZANNA

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

DADEVILLE, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1991 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 490

19TH STREET

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

19TH STREET * AL. AVE, Walker, AL

Built 1995 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 8,600

AL 21

Good

Over: WEEWOKA CREEK

0.4 MI S JCT SR 76, Talladega, AL

Built 1996 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 7,497

CO RD 36

Good

Over: RED CREEK

0.81 KM W OF MEHAPHY, Washington, AL

Built 1995 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 784

DAY ST

Good

Over: CSX RR

0.87 MI W OF I-65, Montgomery, AL

Built 1996 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 27,167

CO. RD. 17

Good

Over: NO NAME CREEK

Moore Rd., Covington, AL

Built 1960 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 730

GULF STATES PKWY

Good

Over: TRIB TO MILLIANS CREEK

1.5 MI. W. OF GUINEA, Hale, AL

Built 1999 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 450

TALLDEGA CO. 207

Good

Over: LOGAN MARTIN BACKWATER

.7 MI. NORTH U.S. HWY. 78, Talladega, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 2,870

CR. 11

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

0.5MI. S. LOWNDES CO.LINE, Butler, AL

Built 2000 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 38

CO 19

Good

Over: TALLAPOOSA RIVER

APPROX. 1 MI S OF HYW 9, Cleburne, AL

Built 2001 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 960

CO. RD. 65

Good

Over: HIGH LOG CREEK

1 MI SW OF HATCHECHUBBEE, Russell, AL

Built 2002 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 333

CR 1301

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

Cr 1301, Cullman, AL

Built 2004 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 440

NEW LINCOLN ROAD

Good

Over: A SMALL PERIODIC STREAM

.1 MI. N OF JCT ALA 34, Talladega, AL

Built 1982 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 470

ALEX-JACKS HWY

Good

Over: TALLASSEEHATCHEE CREEK

ALEX-JACK HWY, Calhoun, AL

Built 2005 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 3,216

US 80 (+)

Good

Over: AL 17

5.9 MI EAST OF CUBA, Sumter, AL

Built 2010 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 4,752

US 80

Good

Over: ALAMUCHEE CREEK

1.5 MI E JCT US11, Sumter, AL

Built 2012 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 3,876

ARMSTRONG ROAD

Good

Over: SANDY CREEK

1.0 MILES SOUTH OF SAMSON, Geneva, AL

Built 2006 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 52

8TH STREET

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.65 MI E JCT AL 277, Jackson, AL

Built 2007 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 643

CO RT 546

Good

Over: LITTLE DOUBLE BRIDGES CR

2.66 MI N OF BATTEN XRD, Coffee, AL

Built 2007 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 50

BALDWIN BEACH EXPR

Good

Over: DAVIS BRANCH

0.4 MI. N. OF US 90, Baldwin, AL

Built 2011 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 1,585

AL 179

Good

Over: WADE CREEK

AL 179 * WADE CREEK, Etowah, AL

Built 2014 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 2,219

HENRY DOHERTY RD

Good

Over: TUCKABUM CREEK

.3mi S INT AL10 & 199, Choctaw, AL

Built 2013 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 184

COUNTY ROAD 341

Good

Over: SPLUNGE CREEK

1 MI E JCT SR 5, Winston, AL

Built 2012 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 150

CR 59

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK RELIEF

Petrey Highway, Crenshaw, AL

Built 2015 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 555

CR 59

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK RELIEF

Petrey Highway, Crenshaw, AL

Built 2016 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 555

4TH STREET

Good

Over: STREAM TO BEAR CREEK

1.5 MI N CO 3 SR 24 JCT, Franklin, AL

Built 2017 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 5,800

Alexander Road

Good

Over: Shoal Creek

.3mi E Jct Co41 * Co474, Shelby, AL

Built 2017 Load: 35.7 t ADT: 35

DRAKE RD

Good

Over: HODNETT MILL CREEK

2.9 M E NO 22, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1955 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 195

CO RT 29

Good

Over: STREAM

0.5 MI E JCT CO RT 121A, Lawrence, AL

Built 1969 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 320

SR 41

Good

Over: PINE BARREN REL.

7.4MI.N.OF CAMDEN, Wilcox, AL

Built 1976 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 820

SR 41

Good

Over: PINE BARREN REL.

7.7.MI.N.OF.CAMDEN, Wilcox, AL

Built 1976 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 820

COUNTY ROAD 5518

Good

Over: TRIB TO KNIGHTS LAKE

SEC 12 T9N R21E, Pike, AL

Built 1983 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 150

CO 129

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

POYNER DR PHENIX CITY, Russell, AL

Built 1984 Load: 35.8 t ADT: 520

Showing 11,951-12,000 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.