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

OLD SPRINGHILL RD.

Fair

Over: PINEY WOODS CREEK

OLD SPRINGHILL RD., Crenshaw, AL

Built 1989 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 2

LOWMAN LOOP RD.

Fair

Over: SINA CREEK

LOWMAN LOOP RD., Crenshaw, AL

Built 1989 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 8

PARKS ROAD

Fair

Over: HALLS CREEK

TANNEHILL STATE PARK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1975 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 70

RD #2796

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

TANNEHILL STATE PARK, Tuscaloosa, AL

Built 1970 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 40

ROADWAY

Fair

Over: CO RT 1114 CREEK

0.6 MI W CO RT 1115, Sumter, AL

Built 1940 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 15

COUNTY ROAD 1178

Fair

Over: BEEMAN CREEK

SEC 34 T11N R20E, Pike, AL

Built 1986 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 70

LOGAN RD

Fair

Over: BOONE CREEK

3 MILES EAST CONCORD, Fayette, AL

Built 1996 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 25

CO RT 480

Fair

Over: BRH LITTLE BEAVER CREEK

1.0 MI NW AL 43, Marengo, AL

Built 2011 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 25

LITTLETON RD.

Fair

Over: LINE CREEK

0.13 MI W OF HWY 431, Etowah, AL

Built 1965 Load: 6.6 t ADT: 693

MURPHREE LAKE RD

Fair

Over: BLUE SPRINGS CREEK

2 MI E OF GUM SPRINGS, Blount, AL

Built 1987 Load: 6.6 t ADT: 46

County Road 98

Fair

Over: Whitley Creek

0.1 MILE SOUTH JCT CO 42, Marion, AL

Built 1937 Load: 6.7 t ADT: 80

CO RD 429

Fair

Over: KNAKES CREEK

1.4MI NE PINE HILL, Randolph, AL

Built 1978 Load: 6.7 t ADT: 75

CO RD 34

Fair

Over: LITTLE BEAR CREEK

1.1 MI SE CO 34 CO 40 JCT, Franklin, AL

Built 1962 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 190

CO 94

Fair

Over: TERRAPIN CREEK

CR 94 0.2 MI E OF CO LINE, Cleburne, AL

Built 1945 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 25

ST. IVES ROAD

Fair

Over: SMALL PERODIC BRANCH

.1 MI.N JCT. OLD TRAM RD., Talladega, AL

Built 1970 Load: 6.8 t ADT: 68

SELMAN RD

Fair

Over: BOXES CREEK

4.5 MI EASTOFHUBBERTVILLE, Fayette, AL

Built 1975 Load: 6.9 t ADT: 84

CR 820

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

CR 820, Cullman, AL

Built 1947 Load: 7.0 t ADT: 60

CO 474

Fair

Over: UT MACOLA CREEK

CR 474 UT MACOLA CREEK, Cleburne, AL

Built 1980 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 100

Calvin Fowler Road

Fair

Over: Stewart Creek

East of CR97 SR171 JCT, Fayette, AL

Built 1975 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 40

607

Fair

Over: TALLASEEHATCHEE CREEK

TALLADEGA DISTRICT, Clay, AL

Built 1939 Load: 7.1 t ADT: 50

WARRIOR CREEK RD

Fair

Over: WARRIOR CREEK

STRAWBERRY, Blount, AL

Built 1980 Load: 7.2 t ADT: 71

TRUCK TRAIL ROAD

Fair

Over: GINHOUSE BRANCH

TRUCK TRAIL RD @ GINHOUSE, Morgan, AL

Built 1960 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 15

2ND ST SW

Fair

Over: L*N RR

2nd St SW, Cullman, AL

Built 1912 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 1,000

CO RD 11

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.3 MI S INT RT 142 * 144, Choctaw, AL

Built 1922 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 850

FAYETTE ST.

Fair

Over: VALLEY CREEK

FAYETTE ST. * VALLEY CK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1931 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 1,600

5TH ST SE

Fair

Over: L*N RR

5th St SW, Cullman, AL

Built 1935 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 880

SHERMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: WEEKS BRANCH

0.1 MI. S. OF CO. RD. 26, Baldwin, AL

Built 1954 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 40

CO 41

Fair

Over: KNOKES CREEK

CR 41 KNOKES CREEK, Cleburne, AL

Built 1979 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 150

CHEROKEE #189

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.5 MI S INT ALA 9, Cherokee, AL

Built 1930 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 133

CHEROKEE #51

Fair

Over: CREEK

1.0 MI S INT ALA #9, Cherokee, AL

Built 1935 Load: 7.4 t ADT: 133

CHEROKEE #760

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.0 MI W INT CHEROKEE #41, Cherokee, AL

Built 1955 Load: 7.4 t ADT: 40

Swamp Road

Fair

Over: NO NAME BRANCH

N of Loango near Cty line, Covington, AL

Built 1938 Load: 7.4 t ADT: 210

cr 986

Fair

Over: WHITE OAK

CR 986, Cullman, AL

Built 1940 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 20

ZEHNER RD

Fair

Over: BRANCH

SEC33 T3S R5W, Limestone, AL

Built 1952 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 450

MT OLIVE WEST

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.7 MI. SW GRACE, Butler, AL

Built 1968 Load: 7.5 t ADT: 20

CO 632 SPUR RD

Fair

Over: VERDIN CREEK

1.42 MI E OF CR 42 OFF 46, Cleburne, AL

Built 1977 Load: 7.6 t ADT: 40

CHEROKEE #34

Fair

Over: COWAN CREEK

0.2 MI E CO #31, Cherokee, AL

Built 1940 Load: 7.7 t ADT: 130

CO RD 270

Fair

Over: PINEYWOOD CREEK

RICE MILL 3MI.S OF FOSTER, Randolph, AL

Built 1978 Load: 7.7 t ADT: 25

CO RT 1

Fair

Over: LITTLE DRY CREEK

2.1MI N JCT SR 65, Jackson, AL

Built 1939 Load: 7.9 t ADT: 40

BUDDY WILLIAMSON

Fair

Over: SWAMP BRANCH CREEK

0.25 MI. WEST OF BUTLER, Madison, AL

Built 1940 Load: 7.9 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HWY 1101

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

172 FT N JCT 1102, Marshall, AL

Built 1951 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 75

INDIAN CREEK RD

Fair

Over: HAM CREEK

0.1 MI S CO RD 043, Madison, AL

Built 1967 Load: 8.1 t ADT: 120

CO. RD. 29

Fair

Over: BLACKWATER CREEK RELIEF

.3MI. WEST CITY LIMITS, Walker, AL

Built 1970 Load: 8.1 t ADT: 400

CO 629

Fair

Over: BRANCH

CO 629 BRANCH, Cleburne, AL

Built 1977 Load: 8.2 t ADT: 30

CREEK RD

Fair

Over: METCALF CREEK

0.2 E CO ROUTE 31, Clay, AL

Built 1979 Load: 8.2 t ADT: 18

SPR CR CEMETARY RD

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

300 N JCT CO RD 12, Shelby, AL

Built 1960 Load: 8.2 t ADT: 82

FREEMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: FIVE MILE CREEK

FREEMAN RD/FIVE MILE CK, Jefferson, AL

Built 1970 Load: 8.2 t ADT: 30

CEDAR SPRINGS DR.

Fair

Over: TALLASEEHATCHEE CREEK

CEDAR SPRINGS DR., Calhoun, AL

Built 1940 Load: 8.3 t ADT: 1,461

CHEROKEE #43

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.0 MI W INT CHEROKEE #47, Cherokee, AL

Built 1945 Load: 8.3 t ADT: 385

ROARING ROAD

Fair

Over: ROARING CREEK

5 MILES W OF HARTFORD, Geneva, AL

Built 1950 Load: 8.3 t ADT: 6

Showing 201-250 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.