State profile · Near median Poor share

Kentucky 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 Kentucky.

14,548
Public bridges
26.6%
Good condition
7.4%
Poor condition

Kentucky holds 14,548 public highway bridges (#18 of 52 by inventory) with a 7.37% Poor share (#19 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 7.4% 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 34 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

14,548

Public highway bridges in Kentucky

Good Condition

26.6%

3,866 bridges rated 7-9

-23.4pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

7.4%

1,072 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-0.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

Kentucky vs national bridge condition

Kentucky - Good condition share 26.6%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Kentucky - Poor-condition share 24.6%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Kentucky 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: Kentucky has 14,548 bridges and a 7.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #34 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 (%) KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%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%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: Kentucky has 14,548 bridges and a 7.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #34 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.

Kentucky 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

14,548 18th of 54 higher than 36 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 Kentucky

The highlighted point is Kentucky: 14,548 bridges and 7.37% in Poor condition, rank #34 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Kentucky on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • North Carolina: 19,210 bridges · 6.76% Poor
  • Montana: 5,224 bridges · 6.81% Poor
  • Kentucky: 14,548 bridges · 7.37% Poor
  • New Hampshire: 2,542 bridges · 7.51% Poor
  • Oklahoma: 22,917 bridges · 7.70% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Kentucky

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 14,548 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Kentucky’s inventory

State agency holds 62.6% of the 14,548 public highway bridges filed under Kentucky in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Kentucky’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 13.8% of the 14,548 bridges with a recorded original year in Kentucky. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Kentucky26.6%66.1%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Kentucky (FHWA NBI)

Counties (120)

Adair 143 Allen 88 Anderson 84 Ballard 85 Barren 147 Bath 89 Bell 205 Boone 138 Bourbon 112 Boyd 89 Boyle 89 Bracken 49 Breathitt 124 Breckinridge 91 Bullitt 99 Butler 98 Caldwell 116 Calloway 210 Campbell 130 Carlisle 74 Carroll 68 Carter 189 Casey 143 Christian 300 Clark 117 Clay 160 Clinton 41 Crittenden 89 Cumberland 93 Daviess 282 Edmonson 39 Elliott 53 Estill 56 Fayette 200 Fleming 117 Floyd 161 Franklin 117 Fulton 95 Gallatin 55 Garrard 67 Grant 79 Graves 380 Grayson 119 Green 57 Greenup 161 Hancock 70 Hardin 223 Harlan 252 Harrison 153 Hart 57 Henderson 184 Henry 94 Hickman 123 Hopkins 251 Jackson 51 Jefferson 662 Jessamine 58 Johnson 99 Kenton 142 Knott 134 Knox 127 Larue 54 Laurel 131 Lawrence 103 Lee 42 Leslie 112 Letcher 179 Lewis 149 Lincoln 136 Livingston 104 Logan 135 Lyon 78 Madison 154 Magoffin 107 Marion 149 Marshall 208 Martin 70 Mason 97 McCracken 201 McCreary 39 McLean 75 Meade 24 Menifee 49 Mercer 75 Metcalfe 78 Monroe 70 Montgomery 74 Morgan 114 Muhlenberg 152 Nelson 151 Nicholas 82 Ohio 227 Oldham 66 Owen 54 Owsley 55 Pendleton 94 Perry 176 Pike 331 Powell 110 Pulaski 182 Robertson 24 Rockcastle 87 Rowan 130 Russell 46 Scott 183 Shelby 137 Simpson 50 Spencer 58 Taylor 92 Todd 80 Trigg 109 Trimble 44 Union 127 Warren 106 Washington 104 Wayne 76 Webster 144 Whitley 149 Wolfe 77 Woodford 60

Kentucky 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 Kentucky on the same metric.

NC

North Carolina

6.76% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,210

MT

Montana

6.81% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,224
Selected

KY

Kentucky

7.37% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,548

NH

New Hampshire

7.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,542

OK

Oklahoma

7.70% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$22,917

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Kentucky

Six lowest-condition bridges in Kentucky, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

WIDS ROAD

Poor

Over: WHITE OAK CREEK

100 NE OF JCT CR 5156, Adair, KY

Built 1971 Load: 0.1 t ADT: 10

PETROLEUM RD

Poor

Over: LITTLE TRAMMEL CREEK

0.2 MI. E JCT US 31E, Allen, KY

Built 1975 Load: 0.1 t ADT: 164

DEERFIELD ROAD

Poor

Over: STOVALL CREEK

.7 MI W OF JCT KY 802, Ballard, KY

Built 1988 Load: 0.1 t ADT: 40

KY-3042

Poor

Over: DIX RVR-HERRINGTON LAKE

.05 MI EAST OF KY34, Boyle, KY

Built 1924 Load: 0.1 t ADT: 630

KY-1951

Poor

Over: SNAG CREEK

2.4 MI. S.E KY 1019, Bracken, KY

Built 1988 Load: 0.1 t ADT: 36

Jones Branch

Poor

Over: South Fk Quicksand Creek

100 S of KY 1098 MP 9.23, Breathitt, KY

Built 2013 Load: 0.1 t ADT: 55

All Bridges in Kentucky

KY-132

Fair

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

.15 MI S.W. OF JCT KY 493, Webster, KY

Built 1941 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 206

KY-983

Fair

Over: BR OF BAD STONE DITCH

1.5 MI W OF JCT KY 1063, Webster, KY

Built 1951 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 401

KY-857

Fair

Over: SUGARCAMP CREEK

1.7 MI S.E. OF UNION CL, Webster, KY

Built 1955 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 148

KY-132

Fair

Over: FARMERS CREEK

.40 MI EAST OF JCT US 41A, Webster, KY

Built 1941 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,462

KY-138

Fair

Over: E FK DEER CREEK

.10 MI WEST OF JCT US 41, Webster, KY

Built 1950 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 625

KY-2087

Fair

Over: FARMERS CREEK

.10 MI WEST OF JCT KY 132, Webster, KY

Built 1951 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 890

KY-120

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

.45 MI WEST OF JCT KY 109, Webster, KY

Built 1936 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,668

US-25W

Fair

Over: PIGEON ROOST CREEK

.95 MI N OF S-JCT KY 1804, Whitley, KY

Built 1943 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,878

I-75

Fair

Over: BACON CRK-CORINTH RD

1.1 MI S OF N-JCT US 25W, Whitley, KY

Built 1967 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 38,213

KY-904

Fair

Over: TYES FK OF BENNETTS BR

4.7 MI W OF E-JCT KY 92, Whitley, KY

Built 1928 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 474

KY-1659

Fair

Over: GLENNS CREEK

.80 MI S OF JCT KY 2331, Woodford, KY

Built 1950 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 344

KY-585

Fair

Over: JOHNS CREEK

5.21 MI E OF 002/107 C.L., Allen, KY

Built 1970 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 519

KY-1896

Fair

Over: MOCKS BRANCH

.20 MI EAST OF JCT US 127, Boyle, KY

Built 1966 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 600

DONALDSON RD

Fair

Over: FORK-DONALDSON CREEK

.3 MI W. JCT KY 139, Caldwell, KY

Built 1990 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 43

HARDY MILL RD

Fair

Over: BRUSHY GROVE CREEK

1.6 MI W KY 91, Caldwell, KY

Built 1992 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 35

US-60

Fair

Over: I 64

2.5 MI W OF JCT KY 7, Carter, KY

Built 1969 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 2,092

KY-1076

Fair

Over: Hays Creek

0.6 MI S JCT KY 696, Clinton, KY

Built 2003 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 333

US-42

Fair

Over: BIG SUGAR CREEK

.01 MI.EAST OF JCT US 127, Gallatin, KY

Built 1984 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 3,055

BROADUS BRANCH RD

Fair

Over: BROADUS BRANCH

1 MI S JCT KY 1295, Garrard, KY

Built 1991 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 158

WALLACETOWN RD

Fair

Over: WHITE LICK CREEK

150 E of White Lick Rd., Garrard, KY

Built 1992 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 95

WARD HENRY RD

Fair

Over: SUGAR CREEK

1.0 MI S JCT KY 39, Garrard, KY

Built 1994 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 10

US-62

Fair

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

.55 MI EAST OF OHIO CL, Grayson, KY

Built 1929 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 550

US-31W

Fair

Over: TIOGA CREEK

1 MI SW OF S-JCT KY 835, Hardin, KY

Built 1940 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 19,810

KY-179

Fair

Over: CLOVERLICK CREEK

.10 MI W OF JCT KY 2006, Harlan, KY

Built 1974 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 151

KY-66

Fair

Over: UPPER JACKS CREEK

.10 MI S.W. OF JCT KY 406, Leslie, KY

Built 1957 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 367

KY-588

Fair

Over: DRY FORK

@ 0MI. JCT. KY 3401, Letcher, KY

Built 1992 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 399

KY-73

Fair

Over: BLACK LICK

.8 MI N OF JCT KY 1466, Logan, KY

Built 1935 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 543

JIGG WATER ROAD

Fair

Over: JIGG WATER BRANCH

1.5 MI WEST - KY 1984, Madison, KY

Built 1993 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 47

KY-9009

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

4.8 MI WEST OF KY 30 NTRC, Magoffin, KY

Built 1963 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 4,478

KY-330

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

.75 MI WEST OF JCT KY 845, Owen, KY

Built 1936 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 227

KY-619

Fair

Over: CUMBERLAND PARKWAY

.3 MI E OF N-JCT US 127, Russell, KY

Built 1973 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 4,195

KY 55

Fair

Over: BUCK CREEK

1.1 MI N OF SPENCER CL, Shelby, KY

Built 1928 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 4,631

KY-103

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

1.0 MI N OF JCT KY 100, Simpson, KY

Built 1935 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 303

CR-1038

Fair

Over: I-65

2.7 MI S OF 005/114 C.L., Warren, KY

Built 2002 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 2,043

BOOKER RD

Fair

Over: SERVANT RUN CREEK

2 MI SW JCT KY 55, Washington, KY

Built 1991 Load: 40.9 t ADT: 418

KY-57

Fair

Over: BOONE CREEK

0.9 MI S OF JCT KY 537, Bourbon, KY

Built 1987 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 273

KY-170

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

.35 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 161, Fleming, KY

Built 1934 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 466

US 60

Fair

Over: CANOE CREEK

.4 MI. WEST JCT. 41A, Henderson, KY

Built 2010 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 11,568

I-264 EB

Fair

Over: CURTIS AVE & NS RR

0.8 MI E OF I-65, Jefferson, KY

Built 1989 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 84,614

OLD WHIPPS MILL RD

Fair

Over: MID FORK BEARGRASS CREEK

0.1 MI S OF ORMSBY LN, Jefferson, KY

Built 1993 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 160

KY-9009

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK & KY.134

3.2 MI EAST OF MORGAN CL, Magoffin, KY

Built 1963 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 4,478

KY-2606

Fair

Over: SOLDIER CREEK

.5 MI S OF JCT KY 1949, Marshall, KY

Built 1967 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 1,042

YORK CEMETERY ROAD

Fair

Over: PATTY CREEK

.12 MI WEST OF KY 2606, Marshall, KY

Built 2000 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 18

Plum Run Rd.

Fair

Over: Cox Creek

2.1 Mi E of Murray Run Rd, Nelson, KY

Built 1991 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 286

KY-3419

Fair

Over: Calloway Branch

0.6 MI S of JCT KY 632, Pike, KY

Built 1998 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 236

KY-11

Fair

Over: RED RIVER @WCL CLAY CITY

.05 MI E OF W-JCT KY 15, Powell, KY

Built 1983 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 7,094

MENNONITE CHURCH R

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

.1 MI N KY 1170, Simpson, KY

Built 1990 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 43

KY-1834

Fair

Over: LONG BRANCH CREEK

1 MI NE-JCT US 68-KY 55, Taylor, KY

Built 1959 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 316

KY-181

Fair

Over: BR OF ELK FORK CREEK

.75 MI NOR. OF JCT US 68, Todd, KY

Built 1955 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 4,087

KY-2091

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

1.0 MI SE JCT US 60, Union, KY

Built 1973 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 1,755

Showing 6,301-6,350 of 14,548 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 Kentucky's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Kentucky 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. Kentucky 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.