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

KAULOOSA AVE

Fair

Over: CYPRESS CREEK

0.4 MI S I-59, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 7,224

FOUR MILE POSTROA

Fair

Over: ALDRIDGE CREEK

1204 FOUR MILE POST RD, Madison, AL

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 9,100

CO RD 41

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK BLACKOAK CRK

300 FT W AL 75, DeKalb, AL

Built 1969 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 176

AL 69

Fair

Over: NORTH RIVER (LAKE TUSC)

8.5 MI N OF TUSCALOOSA, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1970 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,239

4TH AVENUE NORTH

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4TH AVE N * 6TH STREET, Jefferson, AL

Built 1970 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,000

WINDWOOD DR.

Fair

Over: LAWLER BRANCH

0.1 MI N JCT CO RD 332, Madison, AL

Built 1971 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 350

ST. JOHN DRIVE

Fair

Over: BEAVERS CREEK

500 W AL 75 PINSON, Jefferson, AL

Built 1972 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 453

WASHINGTON ST

Fair

Over: DALLAS CREEK

WASHINGTON * DALLAS CREEK, Madison, AL

Built 1972 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,800

SR 65

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.1MI N JCT SR146 * SR65, Jackson, AL

Built 1922 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 277

SR 65

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.6 MI S JCT SR146 * SR65, Jackson, AL

Built 1974 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 529

MIDFIELD STREET

Fair

Over: VALLEY CREEK

MIDFIELD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1935 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 15,570

MCGEHEE RD

Fair

Over: BALDWIN SLOUGH

0.17 MI N OF EASTERN BLVD, Montgomery, AL

Built 1950 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 12,500

COOSA ST

Fair

Over: VILLAGE CREEK

COOSA ST * VILLAGE CK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1925 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,000

DIVISION STREET

Fair

Over: HALLS CREEK

JONESBORO, Jefferson, AL

Built 1980 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 4,700

CLOUDS COVE RD

Fair

Over: CLOUDS CREEK

2.0 MI SO FAS RT 01, Madison, AL

Built 1938 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 270

COUNTESS RD

Fair

Over: VALLEY VIEW BRANCH

1.5 MI SE JCT US HWY 431, Madison, AL

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 750

Lee Road 307

Fair

Over: HOLLAND CREEK

0.4 MI. N JCT LEE RD 427, Lee, AL

Built 1983 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 554

APALACHEE ST

Fair

Over: VILLAGE CREEK

APALACHEE ST * VILLAGE CK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1925 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,000

OLD GURLEY PIKE

Fair

Over: DRAKE COVE BRANCH

0.1 MI N NEW HOPE, Madison, AL

Built 1937 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 525

AIRPORT BLVD

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

1 MI E MISS LINE, Mobile, AL

Built 1984 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 4,422

CLAYTON ROAD

Fair

Over: CANOE CREEK

1000 N CEDAR MTN ROAD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1985 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,100

EASTERN VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

1 MILE EAST OF KIMBREL, Jefferson, AL

Built 1920 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,535

DALTON DR

Fair

Over: ROEBUCK BRANCH

DALTON DR * RED LANE ROAD, Jefferson, AL

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 500

AIRPT BLVD * S R

Fair

Over: ESLAVA CREEK

0.5 MI E I65, Mobile, AL

Built 1961 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 28,567

JEFFERSON AVE

Fair

Over: BRANCH

JEFF AVE * 32 ND ST SW, Jefferson, AL

Built 1938 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 9,500

COUNTY ROUTE 6

Fair

Over: FLAT CREEK

3 MI. E. RIVER RIDGE, Monroe, AL

Built 1938 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 50

SR 101

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6 M N JCT SR 101 & SR 24, Lawrence, AL

Built 1947 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,330

PANTHER RD

Fair

Over: PANTHER CREEK

OLD HWY 84 WEST, Houston, AL

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 25

CO HWY 24

Fair

Over: LITTLE COTACO CREEK

COTACO VALLEY, Marshall, AL

Built 1991 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 25

CARSON ROAD

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

0.5 MI N US 31, Jefferson, AL

Built 1930 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 17,525

HILLCREST ROAD

Fair

Over: PRUDES CREEK

300 FT S CHERRY AVE, Jefferson, AL

Built 1960 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,975

RECREATION ROAD

Fair

Over: BURCH CREEK

1 MILES S. OF HARTFORD, Geneva, AL

Built 1996 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 55

COUNTY HWY 511

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

1.0 MI.STH AL HWY 21?????, Talladega, AL

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,205

14TH AVE NORTH

Fair

Over: HALLS CREEK

BEHIND WESLAKE MALL, Jefferson, AL

Built 1985 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,000

EXCHANGE AVE

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

2.1 MI NE AL HWY. 21, Calhoun, AL

Built 1936 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,000

PULASKI PIKE

Fair

Over: LIMESTONE CREEK

4.0 MILE LIMESTONE CO, Madison, AL

Built 1938 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,696

SR 27 MP 75.501

Fair

Over: SKIPPERS CREEK

0.8 MI. S. U.S. 431, Henry, AL

Built 1939 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 4,220

NICK DAVIS RD

Fair

Over: PINEY CR

SEC5 T3S R3W, Limestone, AL

Built 1940 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,850

US 43

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

1.9 MI. S. OF DIXONS MILL, Marengo, AL

Built 1947 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 4,060

SR 69

Fair

Over: SALITPA CREEK REL.

5.4MI.N.OF SALITPA, Clarke, AL

Built 1948 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 630

UPPER COLUMBUS RD.

Fair

Over: Trib. of Big Creek

2.2 MI NW OF JCT US NO 82, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1951 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 300

CR-49

Fair

Over: LITTLE YELLOW CREEK

1.0 MILES N. FAIR-VIEW, Lamar, AL

Built 1952 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 170

CO 4

Fair

Over: RODDICK CREEK

4 MI E RUTHERFORD, Russell, AL

Built 1952 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 300

Cr 1859

Fair

Over: MULBERRY CREEK

CR 1859, Cullman, AL

Built 1954 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 70

CO. RT. 703

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

CR 703 east, Cullman, AL

Built 1956 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 600

COUNTY ROAD 39

Fair

Over: HOODS CREEK

3 MI NE OF ONEONTA, Blount, AL

Built 1957 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 989

CO RT 108

Fair

Over: RUTHERFORD CREEK

1.25 MI S JCT CO RT 236, Lawrence, AL

Built 1960 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 565

PINEDALE RD/CR 36

Fair

Over: I - 59

I 59 * CO RD 36, St. Clair, AL

Built 1961 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,240

CR # 85

Fair

Over: TRIB TO DRY CEDAR CREEK

1.1 MI N CR 4, Dallas, AL

Built 1963 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 200

COUNTY ROAD 3339

Fair

Over: WHITE WATER CREEK

SEC 26 T8N R21E, Pike, AL

Built 1962 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 285

Showing 2,251-2,300 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.