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-1835

Good

Over: Sugar Camp Creek

.35 MI NE OF JCT KY 138, Webster, KY

Built 2019 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 78

INDUSTRIAL PARKWAY

Good

Over: OVER CULP CK RD

5.05 MI N OF BOYD CO LINE, Greenup, KY

Built 2003 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 5,110

KY-550

Good

Over: LEFT FK TROUBLESOME CRK

.10 MI WEST JCT KY 160, Knott, KY

Built 2003 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,277

GRIEF RD

Good

Over: NASTY CREEK

.2 MI E. KY 1564, McCracken, KY

Built 1992 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 31

Gene Hunt Rd.

Good

Over: Clear Creek

1.8 Miles SW of KY 412, Marion, KY

Built 2015 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 182

OLD ELAM RD

Good

Over: WHITE OAK CREEK

.1 MI N JCT US 460, Morgan, KY

Built 1994 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 59

HALE SPRINGS ROAD

Good

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

.46 MI S. OF KY 58, Marshall, KY

Built 2000 Load: 39.1 t ADT: 67

BIG SULPHUR RD

Good

Over: LITTLE SULPHUR CREEK

.2 MI W JCT KY 214, Monroe, KY

Built 1990 Load: 39.1 t ADT: 28

KY-974

Good

Over: Moutain Parkway

.5 MI E OF HWY-15, Clark, KY

Built 2013 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 1,196

KY-121X

Good

Over: RED DUCK CREEK

.3 MI. SOU. KY 80, Graves, KY

Built 1984 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 11,705

CANTER PIT RD

Good

Over: CALDWELL CREEK

.6 MI S. JCT CR-1192, Graves, KY

Built 2016 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 18

BUFFALO BR

Good

Over: LEATHERWOOD CREEK

300'NORTH - CR1303, Greenup, KY

Built 1992 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 28

Holbert Drive

Good

Over: Martins Fork

.1 M S OF JCT KY 987, Harlan, KY

Built 2020 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 35

PIKEVIEW ROAD

Good

Over: LOCUST BRANCH

06 MI SE JCT US 31E, Hart, KY

Built 1991 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 93

I-65 SB ON RAMP

Good

Over: I-64 EB RAMP & WTHRSPN

0.57 MI E OF CLARK MEM BR, Jefferson, KY

Built 2016 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 10,500

AIRLINE ROAD

Good

Over: WALTERS CREEK

.7 MI W. JCT US 31E, Larue, KY

Built 1990 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 200

CR-1184

Good

Over: WOOTEN CREEK

RIGHT OFF MAIN ROAD, Leslie, KY

Built 2018 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 5

LOWER KINNEY ROAD

Good

Over: ROCK RUN

.4 MI SW JCT KY 1149, Lewis, KY

Built 1994 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 213

SIMS BRANCH RD

Good

Over: SIMS BRANCH

1 MI E JCT CR 5245, Lincoln, KY

Built 1991 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 27

KY 994

Good

Over: BOTTOM DITCH

.80 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 348, McCracken, KY

Built 2022 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 1,233

KY 1941

Good

Over: Chaplin Rver

3.1M S OF JCT W/KY 152, Mercer, KY

Built 2022 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 141

KY-2552

Good

Over: Shelby Creek

JCT KY 122 & KY 2552, Pike, KY

Built 2006 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 1,059

Cimarron Road

Good

Over: N Fork of Triplett Creek

0.05 M SE of JCT KY-377, Rowan, KY

Built 2023 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 78

J.W. HARRIS RD

Good

Over: CUMBERLAND PARKWAY

.25 MI N OF JCT KY 910, Russell, KY

Built 1973 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 74

KY-525_

Good

Over: CASEY CREEK_

5.3 MI S.E. OF JCT KY 139, Trigg, KY

Built 2015 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 190

J D HENRY RD

Good

Over: CYPRESS CREEK

1.1 MI SE JCT 492, Union, KY

Built 1990 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 100

Ky 3145

Good

Over: US-68/Ky80/CSX RR Spur

1.09 M S of US-31E, Warren, KY

Built 2015 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 9,399

KY-205

Good

Over: BOONE FORK

2-3 MI N. JCT KY 1812, Breathitt, KY

Built 1996 Load: 39.3 t ADT: 1,307

WK-9001

Good

Over: MILLWOOD-PLEASANT VIEW R

EBL 5 MI E OF KY 79 NTRCH, Grayson, KY

Built 1963 Load: 39.3 t ADT: 5,578

KY-845

Good

Over: BUCK ELK CREEK

.65 MI.NW JCT KY 330, Owen, KY

Built 1994 Load: 39.3 t ADT: 360

MILFORD RIVER

Good

Over: TRIB. TO LICKING RIVER

2.2 MI. S OF JCT KY-22, Pendleton, KY

Built 2021 Load: 39.3 t ADT: 213

DRY BR

Good

Over: ELK LICK FORK

.1 MI E JCT KY 377, Rowan, KY

Built 1994 Load: 39.3 t ADT: 288

WESTBROOK BLVD.

Good

Over: FOWLERS CREEK

0.1MI NORTH OF JCT US-42, Boone, KY

Built 2010 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 100

KY-9

Good

Over: FLAGG SPRING CREEK

@ JCT KY 735, Campbell, KY

Built 1990 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 9,077

JONES CEMETERY RD

Good

Over: BRUSH CREEK

.05 MI W JCT KY 61, Green, KY

Built 1991 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 37

BLUFF BOOM RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

1 MI E OF W-JCT KY 70, Green, KY

Built 1984 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 279

MUDLICK BRANCH RD

Good

Over: E.FORK-L.SANDY RIVER

.1 MI E - KY 3, Lawrence, KY

Built 1991 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 50

QUARRY BRANCH RD

Good

Over: EAST FK-LITTLE SANDY RVR

.1 MI EAST- KY 3, Lawrence, KY

Built 1992 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 68

BIG LICK BRANCH RD

Good

Over: BIG LICK BRANCH

.2 MI S KY 114, Magoffin, KY

Built 1992 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 80

FRANK LEE RD

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

0.5 MI W JCT KY 412, Marion, KY

Built 1991 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 181

NEPTON RD

Good

Over: FLAT FORK CREEK

2.0 MI S JCT US 68, Mason, KY

Built 1994 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 164

KNOXVILLE-GARDNERS

Good

Over: MIDDLE FK GRASSY CK

.5 MI S JCT NORTH CUT, Pendleton, KY

Built 1991 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 30

BIG BONE LICK RD

Good

Over: BIG BONE CREEK

.1 MI SW OF JCT KY 338, Boone, KY

Built 2004 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 225

KY1996

Good

Over: STEVENS BRANCH

0.75MI WEST OF JCT KY 10, Campbell, KY

Built 2016 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 169

ROLLING HILLS LANE

Good

Over: BR. OF STRODES CREEK

1.1 Mi. W. of Fortune Dr., Clark, KY

Built 2002 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 3,061

INDUSTRIAL PARKWAY

Good

Over: HORN HOLLOW ROAD

2.246 MI S OF JCT US 23, Greenup, KY

Built 2003 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 4,198

KY 1

Good

Over: Lost Creek

.05 M S OF JCT KY 784, Greenup, KY

Built 2020 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,022

CLAYLICK CRK RD

Good

Over: CLAY LICK CREEK

.6 MI. WEST- KY 1, Greenup, KY

Built 1993 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 88

WESTERN KENTUCKY P

Good

Over: VALLEY CREEK

WBL .5 MI E-KY 1904 UP, Hardin, KY

Built 1962 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 6,288

WK-9001

Good

Over: VALLEY CREEK

EBL .5 MI E-KY 1904 UP, Hardin, KY

Built 1962 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 6,288

Showing 10,651-10,700 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.