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

_french farms road

Good

Over: _branch

_.1 mile s. us 72, Limestone, AL

Built 2015 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 500

CR # 40

Good

Over: Channel on Lake Dannelly

0.6 mi North of AL-28, Wilcox, AL

Built 2018 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 100

Fleahop Road

Good

Over: Tumkeehatchee Creek

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

Built 1949 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 780

SR 131 MP 3.387

Good

Over: CAMPBELL CREEK

3.4 MI. N.ALA.10, Barbour, AL

Built 1950 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 920

SR 239 MP 3.755

Good

Over: STREAM

1.7 MI. NORTH OF CLAYTON, Barbour, AL

Built 1953 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 990

PLEASANT DRIVE

Good

Over: NORFOLK SOU RAILROAD

OPELIKA, Lee, AL

Built 1981 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 3,600

WYETH DR

Good

Over: GUNTERSVILLE LAKE

SOUTH END OF WYETH DRIVE, Marshall, AL

Built 1985 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 1,293

SR 167 MP 2.567

Good

Over: POPLAR CREEK

2.6 MI. N. FLA. LINE, Geneva, AL

Built 1989 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 3,200

WOODFORD AVE.

Good

Over: JONES CREEK

LUVERNE, Crenshaw, AL

Built 1998 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 270

DAWES RD

Good

Over: BRANCH OF TURKEY CREEK

300 S HOLLY POINT DR S, Mobile, AL

Built 1945 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 3,415

BROWNVILLE PIKE RD

Good

Over: REL 4 BR FOR SIPSEY RIV

1.7MI NE OF JCT OJ 75, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2006 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 50

CR # 292

Good

Over: TRIB TO VALLEY CREEK

0.15 MI S OF CR 222, Dallas, AL

Built 1987 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 30

BULL SLOUGH ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH RIVER

1.9 MI. EAST INT. U.S. 43, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2003 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 430

US 98

Good

Over: SCARBO CREEK

0.4 M East of Wilson RD, Mobile, AL

Built 2007 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 12,910

Future US98/SR158

Good

Over: SCARBO CREEK

0.4 M East of Wilson RD, Mobile, AL

Built 2007 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 12,910

CO 66

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

CR 66 @ CANE CREEK, Cleburne, AL

Built 2006 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 173

DOUGLAS RD.

Good

Over: DOUGLAS BRANCH

0.4 MI W JCT CO RD 088, Madison, AL

Built 2010 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 2,760

SR 53

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

5 MI N JCT US 72, Madison, AL

Built 2012 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 26,632

Co Rd 79

Good

Over: Calloway Creek

Sec 8 T 18N R 18E, Elmore, AL

Built 2017 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 323

Marshtown Road

Good

Over: Tukabum Creek

_.5 MI S INT RT 194*215, Choctaw, AL

Built 2018 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 65

I20E rmp/31st StN

Good

Over: US31 I20 Ramps RA Blvd

I-20, Jefferson, AL

Built 2019 Load: 36.1 t ADT: 8,900

I 65

Good

Over: STREAM

2 M S JCT I 65 & SR 2, Limestone, AL

Built 1970 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 24,320

SR 54 MP 7.984

Good

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

3.5 MI.E.COV.CO.4, Covington, AL

Built 1983 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 830

ASTALOT DRIVE

Good

Over: BRANCH

13009 ASTALOT DRIVE, Madison, AL

Built 1984 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 400

US 84 MP 129.537

Good

Over: PRESTWOOD MILL CREEK

2.2 MI.W.US 29, Covington, AL

Built 1985 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 8,630

ALA AVE.

Good

Over: DYE BRANCH

50 FT. SOUTH OF SR 35, DeKalb, AL

Built 1988 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 1,500

COUNTY HWY 1543

Good

Over: SHORT CREEK

814 FT W JCT 1388, Marshall, AL

Built 1989 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 460

9TH AVENUE EAST

Good

Over: CRIBBS MILL CREEK

0.1 MI S HARGROVE RD, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1994 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 78

CO. HWY. 23

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.6 MI. JCT. CO. 16, Shelby, AL

Built 2000 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 421

CR456

Good

Over: WALNUT CREEK

CR456 1 MI N/W REFUGE CH, Chilton, AL

Built 1955 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 3

Good

Over: JACKSON CREEK

2.5 MILES NW CR 23, Clarke, AL

Built 2005 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 680

COUNTY ROAD 1170

Good

Over: PATSALIGA CREEK

SEC19 T10N R19E, Pike, AL

Built 2004 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 400

KUYKENDALL RD

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

Kuykendall Road, Marshall, AL

Built 2005 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 175

Lee Road 252

Good

Over: HALAWAKEE CREEK

1.0 MI SE JCT LEE RD 390, Lee, AL

Built 2009 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 202

CR 101

Good

Over: CAUSEWAY OF PRIVATE LAKE

0.86 MI FROM AL 25, Shelby, AL

Built 2011 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 100

GORGAS ROAD

Good

Over: PATTYS CREEK

1.3 MI N OF JCT US NO 43, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1951 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 345

CO 034

Good

Over: BRANCH CULVERT

0.75 MI N.W. CO RT 002, Talladega, AL

Built 1956 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 610

COUNTY RT #149

Good

Over: COAL FIRE CREEK

4.4 MI EAST OF CO RT #27, Pickens, AL

Built 1970 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 200

CO RD 9

Good

Over: TUCKABUM CREEK

2.0 MI N INT AL 10 * 187, Choctaw, AL

Built 1980 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 925

LOWERY RD.

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

1.5 MI NE OF BANKSTON, Fayette, AL

Built 1986 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 58

CO RD 82

Good

Over: SCARHAM CREEK

1.0 MI E AL 75 T8SRSE, DeKalb, AL

Built 1989 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 233

AL-39

Good

Over: Tombigbee River Relief

1.9 MI N Sumer Co Line, Greene, AL

Built 1990 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,179

SR 131 MP 0.899

Good

Over: SIKES CREEK

0.9 MI. N. SR. 10, Barbour, AL

Built 1992 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 720

SR 131 MP 3.666

Good

Over: CHOCTAWHATCHEE R.W.FORK

3.7 MI.N. SR.10, Barbour, AL

Built 1993 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 920

AL-39

Good

Over: Tombigbee River Relief

0.3 MI N Sumter Co Line, Greene, AL

Built 1992 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 1,079

CO HY 47

Good

Over: YELLOWLEAF CREEK

.5 KM S ST 280, Shelby, AL

Built 1997 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 6,500

SR 35

Good

Over: KIRBY CREEK

2 MI N OF DEKALB CO LINE, Jackson, AL

Built 1998 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 8,290

COUNTY ROAD 50

Good

Over: ROCKY BRANCH

WADSWORTH/TWIN VALLEY, Autauga, AL

Built 2003 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 100

TRUCK TRAIL 17

Good

Over: HOLLINGER CREEK

3.0 M. W. OF CR 64, Baldwin, AL

Built 2013 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 70

_I20W to 25th StN

Good

Over: _US31 RR 28th StN

_I20, Jefferson, AL

Built 2019 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 15,477

Showing 12,051-12,100 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.