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

AL 22

Fair

Over: CHILDERS CREEK

5.7MI.W.US80, Dallas, AL

Built 1974 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 4,050

SR 193 NB

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE BAYOU

1.2 MI S I-10, Mobile, AL

Built 1983 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 11,422

2 MI N AL 202

Fair

Over: BRANCH

GATE 8 RD., Calhoun, AL

Built 1984 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 380

I 565

Fair

Over: LIMESTONE CREEK

2.5 MI E JCT I 565 & I 65, Limestone, AL

Built 1965 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 429

CO RD 59

Fair

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

3.2 MI. SOUTH OF ST RD 21, Wilcox, AL

Built 1949 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 350

CRAZE ROAD

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CHAPEL CREEK

1.5 MI N HWY 36, Morgan, AL

Built 1980 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 50

LIBERTY CHURCH RD

Fair

Over: GODWIN BRANCH

BETWEEN 75N AND EAST COOK, Houston, AL

Built 1950 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 188

COUNTY ROAD

Fair

Over: Branch

EAST OF CORD 61, Monroe, AL

Built 2009 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 23

Fair

Over: POLE CAT CREEK

3.0 MI.N OF S.R. 14, Perry, AL

Built 1958 Load: 26.5 t ADT: 210

AL - 4 (US 78)

Fair

Over: NORFOLK SOUTHERN

IN MOODY, St. Clair, AL

Built 1928 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 4,100

US 278; SR 74

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

9.8 MI W JCT I65 * US278, Cullman, AL

Built 1937 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 5,901

US 29 MP 106.702

Fair

Over: CSX R.R.

0.4 MI. W. UNION HILL CH., Pike, AL

Built 1938 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 2,980

COUNTY HIGHWAY115

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4096 FT N JCT 1073, Marshall, AL

Built 1966 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 800

SR 33

Fair

Over: CROW BRANCH

2 M S JCT SR 33 & SR 24, Lawrence, AL

Built 1948 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 4,630

COUNTY HIGHWAY108

Fair

Over: LITTLE MUD CREEK

520 FT NW JCT 1089, Marshall, AL

Built 1958 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 75

US 278

Fair

Over: BROWNS CREEK

2 MI. WEST AL 77, Etowah, AL

Built 1935 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 7,886

CO 24

Fair

Over: COWPEN CREEK

LATO, Russell, AL

Built 1955 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 240

AL-13

Fair

Over: Boxes Creek

3.5 MI S Walker Co Line, Fayette, AL

Built 1957 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 2,439

MICHAEL BLVD

Fair

Over: MONTLIMAR CREEK

0.5 MI W I 65, Mobile, AL

Built 1960 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 1,902

AL 145

Fair

Over: I-65

3.7 MI N OF CLANTON, Chilton, AL

Built 1960 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 9,322

I-85

Fair

Over: HALLAWAKEE CREEK

3.1 MI N JCT US 29, Lee, AL

Built 1961 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 15,700

I-85

Fair

Over: HALLAWAKEE CREEK

3.1 MI N JCT US 29, Lee, AL

Built 1961 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 15,700

CO RD 34

Fair

Over: WEBB CREEK

CO RD 13 TO CO RD 33, Houston, AL

Built 1962 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 355

CO. 108

Fair

Over: HOOTALOOCCO CREEK

3 MI. S. PENTON, Chambers, AL

Built 1962 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 125

US 280 OFF RAMP

Fair

Over: WATER * GAS MAINS

US 280 * AL 149, Jefferson, AL

Built 1964 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 3,300

CAHABA ROAD

Fair

Over: VALLEY CREEK

0.5 MI.E.OF MED.CNTR.PKWY, Dallas, AL

Built 1969 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 7,805

RAMP 59

Fair

Over: I65 AND RAMP 53

I85 AND I65 INTERCHANGE, Montgomery, AL

Built 1973 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 3,118

AL-18

Fair

Over: Sipsey River

0.5 MI E of Fayette, Fayette, AL

Built 1973 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 2,953

67TH ST NW

Fair

Over: BIG WILLS CREEK

0.75 MI E OF US 11, DeKalb, AL

Built 1975 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 1,200

AL. 106

Fair

Over: PANTHER CREEK

0.6 MI. E. OF I-65, Butler, AL

Built 1977 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 6,110

AL-17

Fair

Over: Williams Creek

1 MI N JCT US-278, Marion, AL

Built 1973 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 8,104

I - 459 SOUTH

Fair

Over: OLD US 11

I459 * OLD US11, Jefferson, AL

Built 1982 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 23,500

I - 459 NORTH

Fair

Over: OLD US 11

I459 * OLD US11, Jefferson, AL

Built 1982 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 23,500

US 80 EBL

Fair

Over: CAHABA RIVER

5.6 MI.W.OF AL.219, Dallas, AL

Built 1982 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 2,450

CR 1127

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

CR 1127, Cullman, AL

Built 1950 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 40

I-65

Fair

Over: COTTAGE HILL RD

0.6 MI N US 90, Mobile, AL

Built 1961 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 84,397

I - 65

Fair

Over: 15TH AVE NORTH

I65 * 15TH AVE. NORTH, Jefferson, AL

Built 1969 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 104,190

US 82

Fair

Over: BROADHEAD CREEK

1.7 MI E AL 22, Chilton, AL

Built 1989 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 3,330

SUNFLOWER RD

Fair

Over: GRAVES CREEK

SUNFLOWER, Washington, AL

Built 1994 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 25

1 MI E ALA 9

Fair

Over: JOSEPH CREEK

EARL ROBERTS RD., Calhoun, AL

Built 1997 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 73

AL 119

Fair

Over: SHOAL CK

1.0 MI N OF MONTEVALLO, Shelby, AL

Built 1947 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 8,710

CO RD #26

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

1.0 MI NE ARONEY T9SR5E, DeKalb, AL

Built 1950 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 1,345

SR 77

Fair

Over: CHIKASANOXEE CREEK

3 MI N PENTON, Chambers, AL

Built 1954 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 1,266

SR 20

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.8 M W JCT SR 20 & SR 67, Lawrence, AL

Built 1928 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 11,670

I 59

Fair

Over: BIG WILLS CREEK

I 59 * BIG WILLS CK, Etowah, AL

Built 1962 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 14,038

CO 4

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.0 M N SKEGGS X ROADS, Clay, AL

Built 1962 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 236

COUNTY HWY #6

Fair

Over: WHEELER MILL BRANCH

3 MILES EAST OF GENEVA, Geneva, AL

Built 1965 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 267

I-10 WB TO SR 163

Fair

Over: I-10 EB

I-10 @ SR 163 INTERCHANGE, Mobile, AL

Built 1966 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 2,833

AL - 3 NORTH RAMP

Fair

Over: 7 TH AVE SO

US 31 * 7TH AVE SO, Jefferson, AL

Built 1968 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 7,267

WHITE PKE

Fair

Over: BUZZARD ROOST CREEK

9460 WHITE PKE, Colbert, AL

Built 1968 Load: 26.7 t ADT: 40

Showing 3,401-3,450 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.