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

RAMP AD TO AL - 3

Fair

Over: 3RD AVE NO

RAMP AD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1972 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 6,362

I - 65 TO I - 459

Fair

Over: I - 65 I - 459

I 65 I 459 INTERCHANGE, Jefferson, AL

Built 1977 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 11,363

DAUPHIN ST

Fair

Over: I-65

I-65 @ DAUPHIN ST, Mobile, AL

Built 1962 Load: 21.6 t ADT: 34,266

AL-14

Fair

Over: Sipsey River

Greene Co Line, Pickens, AL

Built 1942 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 916

ROADWAY

Fair

Over: CO RT 1009 ALAMUCHEE CR

1.0 MI S US HWY 80, Sumter, AL

Built 1951 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 298

SR 9

Fair

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN R/R

2.5 MI N JCT US 78, Calhoun, AL

Built 1955 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 4,177

CO RT 410

Fair

Over: BUCKS MILL CREEK

4.5 MILES SOUTH OF ELBA, Coffee, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 470

CO. HWY. 61

Fair

Over: BULLEY CREEK

4.4 MI. N. JCT.CO. 28, Shelby, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 4,302

AL 171

Fair

Over: SIPSEY RIVER

0.7 MI S OF MOORES BRIDGE, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 2,582

FAS 14 CO RD 43

Fair

Over: BLACK OAK CREEK

0.9 MI S JCT CO RT 50, DeKalb, AL

Built 1957 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 654

CO. RT. 781

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

CR 781, Cullman, AL

Built 1957 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 200

TROTMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: CATOMA CREEK

1.6 MI E OF WOODLEYRD, Montgomery, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 1,000

CO 98

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

LOST CREEK CR 98, Cleburne, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 925

CO RD 4

Fair

Over: LINE CREEK

2.1 MILES WEST CO RD 9, Macon, AL

Built 1962 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 216

AIRPORT ROAD

Fair

Over: WALNUT CREEK

0.2 MI SE OF AIRPORT, Chilton, AL

Built 1962 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 7,100

CO. RT. 438

Fair

Over: RYAN CREEK

CR 438, Cullman, AL

Built 1962 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 500

I65 NBL

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.5 MI.S.OF US 31, Montgomery, AL

Built 1965 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 16,060

PROMISE LANE

Fair

Over: JONES CREEK

1 MI E OF HENDRIX, Blount, AL

Built 1966 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 141

CO 10

Fair

Over: GREENBRIER BRANCH

0.3 MI N SR 157, Lauderdale, AL

Built 1967 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 200

I - 20/59 NORTH

Fair

Over: 18TH AVE BESSEMER

I59 * 18TH AVE, Jefferson, AL

Built 1979 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 33,753

I - 20 EAST

Fair

Over: CAHABA RIVER

I20 * CAHABA RIVER, Jefferson, AL

Built 1984 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 35,000

COUNTY ROAD

Fair

Over: HOG BRANCH

.5 MI W MARTINVILLE, Escambia, AL

Built 1984 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 105

CO RD 20

Fair

Over: TRIB ESCATAWPA RIVER

0.9MI W US 45, Washington, AL

Built 1959 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 200

DILLINGHAM STREET

Fair

Over: CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

GA-ALA ST LN-W COLUMBUS, Russell, AL

Built 1910 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 4,140

OLD PARRISH CDV RD

Fair

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR

1.7 MI W JCT COLUMBUS BLD, Walker, AL

Built 1940 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 850

CR-49

Fair

Over: ROY MILL BRANCH

5 MI. N. BEAVERTON, Lamar, AL

Built 1950 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 210

CRAWFORD BOTTOM RD

Fair

Over: COTACO CREEK

0.6 MI E CO RD 1401, Morgan, AL

Built 1950 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HWY 1010

Fair

Over: LITTLE PAINT CREEK

18351 FT W JCT 1686, Marshall, AL

Built 1951 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 200

COUNTY HIGHWAY141

Fair

Over: SHOAL CREEK

6775 FT W JCT 69, Marshall, AL

Built 1951 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,100

COUNTY ROAD 49

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

6.5 MI NE OF AL51, Barbour, AL

Built 1952 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 335

MULBERRY RD

Fair

Over: BOGUE CREEK

4.7 MI. S.E. SULLIGENT, Lamar, AL

Built 1953 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 380

AL 79

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

.9 MI. SO. AL 160, Blount, AL

Built 1953 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 5,234

ST CLAIR CO *

Fair

Over: BIG CANOE CREEK

1.5 W ASHVILLE, St. Clair, AL

Built 1954 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,543

GILPIN ROAD

Fair

Over: DENNIS CREEK

1.0 MI. NW CARRS MILL, Clay, AL

Built 1919 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 23

South St. W

Fair

Over: ISBELL BRANCH

0.1 MI East of Ft Lashley, Talladega, AL

Built 1955 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 2,011

COUNTY HWY 55W

Fair

Over: FLINT CREEK

1.5 MI W FR 31, Morgan, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 2,065

CO RD NO 22

Fair

Over: FACTORY CREEK

2 MILES NORTH LAMARCO LIN, Marion, AL

Built 1956 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 75

CO RT 23 POLECATC

Fair

Over: POLECAT CREEK

2M NORTH OF AL 14, Perry, AL

Built 1958 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 210

CO. RD. 82

Fair

Over: LITTLE TALLAPOOSA RIVER

(MEADOWS)WEST HAWK FAS 5, Randolph, AL

Built 1959 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 230

COUNTY ROAD 33

Fair

Over: CHITWOOD CREEK AT EASLEY

3 1/2 MI SW OF ROSA, Blount, AL

Built 1959 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 622

HOLLY GROVE RD

Fair

Over: PAUL CREEK

1 1/2 MILE S HWY 78, Walker, AL

Built 1960 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 225

PICKWICK ST

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

RIVERMONT SHEFFIELD, Colbert, AL

Built 1960 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,650

CO RD 9

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.3 MILES S.ON RTE.9, Wilcox, AL

Built 1960 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 310

CO.RD.40

Fair

Over: BRIDGE CREEK

E. CULVERT @ CO RD 59, Autauga, AL

Built 1960 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 392

FAS 19 CO RD 50

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.2 MI E JCT CO RT 52, DeKalb, AL

Built 1960 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 498

CO RD 26

Fair

Over: OPINTLOCCO CREEK

4.8 MI EAST OF MLK HWY, Macon, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 535

Germanys Ferry Rd

Fair

Over: Tallapoosa River

0.5 M N OF CO RD 404, Tallapoosa, AL

Built 1961 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 235

BUDDY WILLIAMSON

Fair

Over: HESTER CREEK

2.6 MI W JCT FAP 116, Madison, AL

Built 1963 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 705

COUNTY RD 82

Fair

Over: PATSALIGA RIVER

Gantt Red Level Road, Covington, AL

Built 1964 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 730

JACK JONES RD

Fair

Over: PEA RIVER

1 MI W OF CR-3 AT PIKE CO, Barbour, AL

Built 1965 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 240

Showing 1,451-1,500 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.