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 RD 343

Good

Over: LICK BRANCH

0.5 MI E JCT CO RD 99, Lawrence, AL

Built 1997 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 100

CO RT 35

Good

Over: TROUBLESOME CREEK

0.3 MI S JCT CR 460, Lawrence, AL

Built 2000 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 50

CO RT 242

Good

Over: MILLIGAN BRANCH

0.65 MI E JCT CO RT 238, Lawrence, AL

Built 1998 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 250

CO RT 333

Good

Over: WILEY BRANCH

0.6 MI E JCT CO RT 434, Lawrence, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 200

BAXTER ROAD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

EAST OF BEN IVEY RD., Houston, AL

Built 2007 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 175

CO RT 87

Good

Over: FLAT CREEK

2.2 MI NE JCT CO RT 203, Lawrence, AL

Built 1998 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 1,233

CANDLE WOOD ROAD

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY YO MILL CREEK

.1MI. WEST OF 43 NORTH, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2007 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 250

WATSON ROAD

Good

Over: THORTON CREEK

.9 MI. SW OF CO. ROAD 35, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2007 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 5

JAYS CREEK LANE

Good

Over: JAYS CREEK

.4 MI SOUTH OF CO. ROAD 2, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2006 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 15

SEED TOWN ROAD

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.MI SOUTH OF HEMPHILL RD, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2007 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 10

CO RD 25

Good

Over: SOUTH NEEDHAM CREEK

0.7 MI E LLOYD CHAPEL RD, Greene, AL

Built 2010 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 50

WALLACE BUIE RD.

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

CO. RD. 63 TO CO. RD. 55, Houston, AL

Built 2009 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 28

ENTRANCE ROAD

Good

Over: CHICKASAW CRK TRIB. #2

.1 MI. SOUTH OF S.R. 158, Mobile, AL

Built 2009 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 950

HEMLEY ROAD

Good

Over: TRIB. TO BAYOU CODEN

0.4 MI N OF S.R. -188, Mobile, AL

Built 2009 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 409

RIDGE ROAD

Good

Over: LYE BRANCH

8.5 MI NE OF JCT CO RT 59, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2011 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 62

CR 25-SEABOARD RD

Good

Over: WOLF BRANCH

SEABOARD, Washington, AL

Built 2011 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 50

EMOGENE ST

Good

Over: RANGELINE DITCH

87 E CL SPRINGDALE BLVD, Mobile, AL

Built 1962 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 3,312

JOE TAYLOR ROAD

Good

Over: BARBEE CREEK

1/4 WEST OF HWY 43, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2012 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 100

FONDREN ROAD

Good

Over: BRANCH INTO BARBEE CREEK

3.1 MI NE OF JCT CO # 38, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2012 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 40

WALTER SHIRLEY RD

Good

Over: BENTON COLLINS CREEK

1.5 MI NE OF JCT AL RT 43, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2012 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 300

US 278; SR 74

Good

Over: Brindle Creek

.5 EAST OF AL157/74, Cullman, AL

Built 2019 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 5,648

ST BUNN ROAD

Good

Over: Trib. of Dry Creek

.6 MI. S OF MLK BLVD., Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 2013 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 10

_GREER CREEK RD.

Good

Over: _TRIB. TO GREER CREEK

_2.9 MI. E. OF LANEVILLE, Hale, AL

Built 2019 Load: 44.5 t ADT: 100

CR15 SARDIS ROAD

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

CR15 5 M S HWY22 SARDISRD, Chilton, AL

Built 1984 Load: 44.6 t ADT: 350

GURLEY PIKE

Good

Over: KILLINGSWORTH COVE BR

4.0 MI SE MAYSVILLE, Madison, AL

Built 1992 Load: 44.6 t ADT: 520

COUNTY ROAD 27

Good

Over: WEEKS BRANCH

1.4 MI. S. OF U.S. 98, Baldwin, AL

Built 2006 Load: 44.6 t ADT: 1,392

Co. Rd. 400

Good

Over: Turkey Creek

1/2 mile W SR75, Marshall, AL

Built 2017 Load: 44.6 t ADT: 92

ROCKHILL RD.

Good

Over: TRIB. TO MCCURTIN CR.

0.55 M. N. OF US 31, Baldwin, AL

Built 2014 Load: 44.6 t ADT: 548

LEE AVENUE

Good

Over: MCCURTIN CREEK

1.3 M. N. OF US 31, Baldwin, AL

Built 2014 Load: 44.6 t ADT: 192

CO 33

Good

Over: MARINGO CREEK

9.9 MI N E UCHEE, Russell, AL

Built 1989 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 280

BROWNSFERRY RD

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

BETWEEN HOUSTON * MADISON, Limestone, AL

Built 1910 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 2,319

0000002146125X0

Good

Over: BRANCH OF BASHI CREEK

4.15MI N CLARK CO LINE, Marengo, AL

Built 1996 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 399

I-22

Good

Over: CR-22

Cordova Exit, Walker, AL

Built 2003 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 24,138

OLD SR 202

Good

Over: COLDWATER CREEK

Bynum Blvd/3.9 MI E US78, Calhoun, AL

Built 2005 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 16,440

DUNLOP DRIVE

Good

Over: NS RAILROAD

Dunlop Drive, Lee, AL

Built 2005 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 4,000

CO. RD. 61

Good

Over: LITTLE BUTLER CREEK

1.2 N INT CO RD.8, Lauderdale, AL

Built 2012 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 133

US 80

Good

Over: Little Uchee Crk Relief

3.6 mi East of JCT 169, Russell, AL

Built 2020 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 8,500

Ingram Road

Good

Over: Cottonford Creek

SEC 16 T18N R17E, Elmore, AL

Built 2016 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 2,829

CR-56

Good

Over: Weogufka Creek

0.76 Miles E of Weogufka, Coosa, AL

Built 2019 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 107

CR 827

Good

Over: Rock Creek

_CR 827, Cullman, AL

Built 2020 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 80

Rifle Range RD

Good

Over: Goodwater CRK

SEC 11 T20N R17E, Elmore, AL

Built 2022 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 542

PATTON ROAD

Good

Over: MARTIN ROAD

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Madison, AL

Built 1962 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 10,064

CO RT 51

Good

Over: REEDY CREEK

3MI. SW SHREVE, Conecuh, AL

Built 1957 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 271

SR 154

Good

Over: SALITPA CREEK

10.3 MI. W.OF THOMASVILLE, Clarke, AL

Built 1963 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 310

SR 24

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

2.7 M E JCT SR 24 & SR 19, Franklin, AL

Built 1978 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 2,230

LUM RD CO33-CO45

Good

Over: LAKE CREEK

4 MI WEST OF CO RD 33, Lowndes, AL

Built 1987 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 125

MITCHELL RD.

Good

Over: BUSHY CREEK TRIBUTARY

MITCHELL RD., Crenshaw, AL

Built 1992 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 30

COUNTY ROAD 606

Good

Over: BIG WILLS CREEK

.3.MIE.US11, DeKalb, AL

Built 2003 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 81

COUNTY ROAD 7735

Good

Over: LOG CREEK

SEC16 T11N R22E, Pike, AL

Built 2004 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 56

COUNTY ROAD 515

Good

Over: CANEY CREEK

T6S R8E SECTIONS 16 * 21, DeKalb, AL

Built 2006 Load: 44.8 t ADT: 54

Showing 13,651-13,700 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.