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. ROAD 280

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

0.4 MI N JONESVIEW ON 280, Talladega, AL

Built 1969 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 595

US 231

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.2MI. SOUTH OF JCT 111, Elmore, AL

Built 1954 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 27,530

CO RT 131

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

0.3 MI E JCT CR 339, Lawrence, AL

Built 1955 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 200

CR16CHARLIEMITCHEL

Good

Over: CR16 WARD CREEK

CR16 2.2 MI NE RIDERVILLE, Chilton, AL

Built 1963 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 275

1117

Good

Over: BRANCH

CR 1117, Cullman, AL

Built 1964 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 150

COUNTY ROAD 190

Good

Over: FANNING BRANCH

0.5 MI E STATE 235, Talladega, AL

Built 1970 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 625

CO RT 513

Good

Over: BUCK MILL CREEK

4.5 MILES SOUTHEASTOFELBA, Coffee, AL

Built 1972 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 89

SR 275

Good

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN R/R

CITY OF TALLADEGA, Talladega, AL

Built 1986 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 10,625

CARL T. JONES DR.

Good

Over: ALDRIDGE CREEK

2.2 MILES EAST HWY 231 SO, Madison, AL

Built 1988 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 24,000

SR38 / US280

Good

Over: CHATTASOFKA CREEK

CITY OF DADEVILLE, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1989 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 6,831

CO RT 42

Good

Over: RAWLS CREEK

6MI N.W. BROOKLYN, Conecuh, AL

Built 1989 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 718

NETTLESBORO RD

Good

Over: LITTLE BASSETTS CREEK

2.4 M.W CO.35, Clarke, AL

Built 1990 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 100

SR 239 MP 7.256

Good

Over: STINKING CREEK

1 MI. N. OF BELLS XRDS, Barbour, AL

Built 1992 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 750

SR 157

Good

Over: AVONDALE AVE

0.3 M S JCT SR157 & SR 2, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2008 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 6,215

SR 157

Good

Over: AVONDALE AVE

0.1 M S JCT SR157 & SR 2, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2008 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 6,215

WHITE OAK DRIVE

Good

Over: HT N FORK YELLOWLEAF CK

YELLOWLEAF RIDGE ESTATES, Shelby, AL

Built 1996 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 178

AL - 75 SOUTH

Good

Over: BLACKBURN FORK RELIEF

.7 MI. SO.CO RD 15 ., Blount, AL

Built 1998 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 4,105

SR4/US78

Good

Over: BLUE EYE CREEK

3.6 MI E OF COOSA RIVER, Talladega, AL

Built 2001 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 11,832

HILLCREST RD

Good

Over: I - 22

HILLCREST RD / I - 22, Jefferson, AL

Built 2001 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 500

SR 265

Good

Over: PURSLEY CREEK

CAMDEN, Wilcox, AL

Built 2002 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 500

C0 49

Good

Over: TALLAPOOSA RIVER

CR49 * TALLAPOOSA RIVER, Cleburne, AL

Built 1994 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 300

ROSE BLVD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

1/8 MI. EAST OF HWY 171, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2002 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 1,000

AIRPORT ROAD

Good

Over: OLD TOWN CREEK

4 MI N OF ASHLAND, Clay, AL

Built 2003 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 192

US 80

Good

Over: TOMBIGBEE RVR REL 1 (-)

TOMBIGBEE RIVER, Sumter, AL

Built 2006 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 2,755

US 80

Good

Over: TOMBIGBEE RVR REL 4 (-)

TOMBIGBEE RIVER, Sumter, AL

Built 2006 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 2,755

CR-66

Good

Over: Hatchet Creek

1.8 MI. E MT. OLIVE, Coosa, AL

Built 2005 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 398

COUNTY ROAD 53

Good

Over: CHICKASAW BOGUE CREEK

1.2 MI NORTH OF AL 28, Marengo, AL

Built 2005 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 258

COUNTY ROAD 10

Good

Over: AUTAUGA CREEK

BOOTH, Autauga, AL

Built 2005 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 801

S.R. 113 NBL

Good

Over: HALL CREEK

5 MI N.W. U.S. 31, Escambia, AL

Built 2008 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 2,852

CO RD 1216

Good

Over: STREAM

CR 1216, Cullman, AL

Built 2007 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 140

CR 83

Good

Over: BLUE SPRINGS CREEK

0.5 MI E. CR 81, Shelby, AL

Built 2008 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 300

AL - 7 (US 11)

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

@ GRAY AUTO, Jefferson, AL

Built 2008 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 15,160

CO. 258

Good

Over: WHATLEY CREEK

4 MI N.W. FIVE POINTS, Chambers, AL

Built 2016 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 249

_Wood Trail Dr

Good

Over: _unnamed drainage creek

0.25 east Big Cove Rd, Madison, AL

Built 2016 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 40

Bridge Drive N.

Good

Over: Coney Branch

0.11M W of Bosbyshell Ave, Baldwin, AL

Built 1999 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 51

MT. TABOR ROAD

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

2.5 MI S SR 36, Morgan, AL

Built 1930 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 960

COUNTY RT #63

Good

Over: BRANCH OFF SIPSEY RIVER

11.7 MI EAST OF ST RT #14, Pickens, AL

Built 1954 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 500

CO 321

Good

Over: COLBERT-BRANCH OFF KELLY

1.0 S AL 21, Talladega, AL

Built 1956 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 695

CO.11

Good

Over: PRETTY CREEK

2.0MI.S.W.KENDALL C.R., Chambers, AL

Built 1990 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 210

BIBB CO 39

Good

Over: OAKMULGEE CREEK

0.5 MI SE CO RD 36, Bibb, AL

Built 1995 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 50

CO RT 50

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

75FT E CO 33, Lauderdale, AL

Built 1994 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 235

STRATHMORE DR

Good

Over: BALDWIN SLOUGH

0.1 S US 82, Montgomery, AL

Built 1965 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 250

CO.207

Good

Over: BLUE EYE CREEK

.5 MILE SOUTH OF US 78, Talladega, AL

Built 2002 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 4,870

US 84 MP 144.577

Good

Over: LIGHTWOOD KNOT RELIEF

4.0 MI.W. US 331, Covington, AL

Built 2005 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 3,405

US 280

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

0.1 MI W SR 49, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 2002 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 14,547

COUNTY ROAD 99

Good

Over: ADAMS POND CREEK

County Rd 99, Covington, AL

Built 2003 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 200

CO RD 276

Good

Over: MAD INDIAN CREEK

N OFELIA (SIFAT WOOD BR.), Randolph, AL

Built 2003 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 20

CO. RD. 39

Good

Over: BRANCH OFF IHAGEE CREEK

6.5 MI. SO. MT. OLIVE, Russell, AL

Built 2007 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 1,000

CHESTNUT STREET

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

CHESTNUT ST * BLACK CK, Etowah, AL

Built 2010 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 5,500

JACOBS TRAIL

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

3/8 MILES S OF ROMULUS RD, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2009 Load: 36.8 t ADT: 45

Showing 12,151-12,200 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.