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

HOBBS ROAD

Good

Over: ALDRIDGE CREEK

1.2 M EAST OF HWY 231 S, Madison, AL

Built 1988 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 5,000

NORTHSIDE ROAD

Good

Over: BINION CREEK

1.4 MI E OF JCT CO RD 35, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1988 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 1,000

CO RD 91

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

CR91 2M S PROVIDENCE CH, Chilton, AL

Built 1989 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 400

CO RD 24

Good

Over: WEBB CREEK

US 84 TO CO RD 4, Houston, AL

Built 1989 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 510

CO RT NO 45

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

0.25 MI S CO RT 30, Marengo, AL

Built 1989 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 400

CO RD 343

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

0.3 MI W OF FLAT ROCK, Lawrence, AL

Built 1989 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 230

WOLF CREEK RD.

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

3.0 NE STTURD CROSSROADS, Fayette, AL

Built 1990 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 60

TIDWELL RD.

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

2.0 MI. N OF HUBERTVILLE, Fayette, AL

Built 1990 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 53

CO. HWY. 74

Good

Over: BOLIVER CREEK

0.3 MI. W. JCT. CO. 69, Shelby, AL

Built 1990 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 400

HAYGOOD CHAPEL RD

Good

Over: BARBEE CREEK

2.4 MI NE OF JCT CO R 160, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1990 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 45

BOWLES BRIDGE RD

Good

Over: FLINT CREEK

0.5 MI W US 31, Morgan, AL

Built 1990 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 800

CR-49

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK RELIEF

.4 MI. N. BEAVERTON, Lamar, AL

Built 1991 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 340

MT HEBRON RD

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK RELIEF

.5 MI. N. CREWS, Lamar, AL

Built 1991 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 120

CO. RD. 64

Good

Over: CORN BRANCH

4.2 MI. E. OF CO. RD. 27, Baldwin, AL

Built 1991 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 1,682

GOWENS RD.

Good

Over: BALL PLAY CREEK

0.7 MI E OF GOWENS CIRCLE, Etowah, AL

Built 1991 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 141

JONES MILL RD.

Good

Over: BINION CREEK

2.1 MI SE OF JCT CO RT 35, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1992 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 40

BRYANT WARD ROAD

Good

Over: LYE BRANCH

2.9 MI SW OF JCT AL # 11, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1992 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 75

CO RD 71

Good

Over: BLUEWATER CREEK

5.5 MI N INT US 72, Lauderdale, AL

Built 1989 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 780

COUNTY ROAD #22

Good

Over: 0MUSSEE CREEK

HENRY CO LINE TO AL 52, Houston, AL

Built 1993 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 700

ROADWAY

Good

Over: CO RT 1253 COTAHAGACREEK

11.7 MI E ALA HWY 17, Sumter, AL

Built 1993 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 270

CO RD 32

Good

Over: PANTHER CREEK

JUDGE LOGUE RD., Houston, AL

Built 1994 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 1,482

CO RD 327

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

1 MI W JCT SR 195, Winston, AL

Built 1992 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 100

CO RD 1

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

0.2 MI E CO 23 CO 1 JCT, Franklin, AL

Built 1993 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 399

OLD US 280

Good

Over: SHIRTEE CREEK

CITY OF SYLAUGA, Talladega, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 6,500

CO RD 94

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

1.3 KM E OF CO RD 13, Marion, AL

Built 1995 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 390

CO RD 191

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK CREEK

T-8-S R-6-E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1995 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 102

TABERNACLE ROAD

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

3.6 MI E JCT AL 171, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1995 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 30

CO RT 22

Good

Over: JAMES CREEK

6.2 MI SE GROVE HILL, Clarke, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 300

UPPER COLUMBUS RD

Good

Over: SIPSEY RIVER RELIEF

9.5 MI NW JCT US 82, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 400

M-CLASS BLVD

Good

Over: I-59 (MP 89.27-)

3.0 MI N CO RD 59, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1995 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 371

M-CLASS BLVD

Good

Over: I-59 (MP 89.27+)

3.0 MI N CO RD 59, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1995 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 371

CO RD 6

Good

Over: AUTAUGA CREEK

GOODSON HOUSER RD, Autauga, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 135

CORK RD.

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

2.8MI E REEVES CHAPEL, Lamar, AL

Built 1995 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 30

#22/RAY BASS RD.

Good

Over: LITTLE BEAR CREEK

3.7MI E SR 17, Pickens, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 180

CO RT 92

Good

Over: STREAM

0.4MI E JCT CO RT 95, Lawrence, AL

Built 1998 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 50

CO RT 017

Good

Over: MILAM CREEK

0.7MI S JCT CO RT 20, Lawrence, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 75

CO RT 175

Good

Over: STREAM

0.6MI NW JCT SR 24, Lawrence, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 75

CO RT 117

Good

Over: RANDOLPH BRANCH

0.05MI E JCT CO RT 108, Lawrence, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 80

ELBA CITY SCHOOL

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

ELBA, Coffee, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 790

CR431 BH WELLS RD

Good

Over: CO RD 431 CHESTNUT CRK

CR431 .5MI SW HWY 31 *I65, Chilton, AL

Built 1981 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 400

DEES RD

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

1.3MI NE BAXTER, Lamar, AL

Built 1961 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 170

COUNTY ROAD 43

Good

Over: FEAGIN CREEK

Straughn School Rd, Covington, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 750

BARKSDALE RD

Good

Over: BRYANS CREEK

CO RD 8 TO CO RD 95, Houston, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 110

LUCY GRADE RD

Good

Over: COOPER CREEK

WILSON MILL TO CO RD 55, Houston, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 580

SKIPPER RD

Good

Over: SKIPPER BRANCH

SOUTH PARK TO ALA 109, Houston, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 260

CO RT 42

Good

Over: UNAMED CREEK

1MI E EVERGREEN, Conecuh, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 690

BAREFOOT SPRINGER

Good

Over: BOX CREEK

1.8MI W JCT CO RD 15, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 40

GRADY PHILLIPS RD

Good

Over: BARBEE CREEK

0.1MI W JCT US 43, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 20

RT #22/RAY BASS RD

Good

Over: LUBBUB CREEK RELIEF

.6 MI. EAST STATE RD.17, Pickens, AL

Built 1999 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 400

COUNTY DIRT RD.

Good

Over: TERRY MILL CREEK

Morgan Road, Covington, AL

Built 1999 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 270

Showing 13,551-13,600 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.