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-15

Good

Over: KY-80;N FK KY RIVER

0.3 mi. N of KY15 split, Perry, KY

Built 2021 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 22,834

KY-612

Good

Over: Long Fork

1.5 MI SE of JCT KY 468, Pike, KY

Built 2000 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 151

KY 599

Good

Over: Cane Creek

.05 MI East of JCT KY 615, Powell, KY

Built 2021 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 154

KY 15S

Good

Over: KY 9009 MTN. PKWY.

1 mi. N of 15-191 Int., Wolfe, KY

Built 2009 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 5,977

745TH TANK BTLN RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

2 KM E. OF S. BOUNDARY RD, Hardin, KY

Built 2009 Load: 45.7 t ADT: 20

US-60

Good

Over: HUMPHREY CREEK

1.0 MI EAST OF JCT KY 358, Ballard, KY

Built 1985 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 4,718

Lovers Lane

Good

Over: Fort Campbell Railroad

1.3 mi. E KY 107, Christian, KY

Built 2007 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 1,762

KY-9009

Good

Over: STATE RD FORK

.10 MI WEST OF MORGAN CL, Wolfe, KY

Built 1963 Load: 45.8 t ADT: 4,635

US 68

Good

Over: SEABOARD RAILROAD

0.29 MI. E. OF WEST MAIN, Barren, KY

Built 2002 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 4,567

CAPITOL HILL CH RD

Good

Over: GLOVER CREEK

1.42 MI SOUTH OF KY 921, Barren, KY

Built 2015 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 235

I-275 EB

Good

Over: ELIJAH CREEK ROAD

1 MI.NE. HEBRON KY, Boone, KY

Built 2000 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 27,583

MUTUAL STREET

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

350 N JCT KY 15, Clark, KY

Built 1996 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 722

GARY MORGAN RD

Good

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.10 MI. SW. JCT KY 61, Cumberland, KY

Built 2005 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 183

Scotts Ferry Road

Good

Over: LEWIS CREEK

0.351 MI. NE OF CR 5006, Cumberland, KY

Built 2008 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 49

Laurel RD CR1283

Good

Over: Holbrook branch

4.4 mi N of JCT with KY 1, Greenup, KY

Built 2019 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 776

SULPHUR SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: BR. OF BEAVERDAM CREEK

.35 MI W JCT KY 145, Henderson, KY

Built 2004 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 84

KY 3311

Good

Over: WILLIS BRANCH

3.80 Mi S of KY 10 (AA), Lewis, KY

Built 1993 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 163

KY-152

Good

Over: CANE RUN CREEK

0.6 MI E OF JCT KY 33, Mercer, KY

Built 2003 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 1,689

DEAN ROAD

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

.7 MI WEST JCT KY 11, Owsley, KY

Built 1993 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 152

I-75 SOUTHBOUND

Good

Over: POKEBERRY ROAD

2.3 MI N. OF KY 32, Scott, KY

Built 2007 Load: 45.9 t ADT: 23,517

US-42

Good

Over: S. FK GUNPOWDER CREEK

.02 MI. SW KY 237, Boone, KY

Built 1987 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 30,498

KY 1377

Good

Over: Horn Creek

.7 MI East of JCT KY 137, Carlisle, KY

Built 2020 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 525

_CR-1113A

Good

Over: _BIG CREEK

_BIG CREEK POST OFFICE, Clay, KY

Built 2015 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 209

HALL RD

Good

Over: LONG BRANCH

.3 MI S-JCT KY 1131, Garrard, KY

Built 1990 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 30

KY 22

Good

Over: Clarks Ck+Baton Rouge Rd

1 MI NE of JCT KY 36, Grant, KY

Built 2020 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 1,736

Duffy Rd.(CR-1046)

Good

Over: Br. W. Fk. Clarks River

.6 MI W. KY 1684, Graves, KY

Built 2017 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 32

Alben Barkley Road

Good

Over: Branch - Wilson Creek

.6 MI N OF JCT KY 408, Graves, KY

Built 2020 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 61

US 150

Good

Over: S FORK BEARGRASS CREEK

0.1 MI E OF S CAMPBELL ST, Jefferson, KY

Built 2020 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 17,132

_578

Good

Over: _Raccoon Creek

_.25 miles from ky 638, Laurel, KY

Built 2016 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 518

I-69 NB

Good

Over: Little John Creek

.3 miles south of I-24, Marshall, KY

Built 2015 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 18,230

KY-1066

Good

Over: BR OF ASHES CREEK

.1 MI N OF JCT KY 1873, Nelson, KY

Built 1951 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 313

KY 30

Good

Over: Little Sturgeon Creek

.1 MI SW OF W-JCT KY 847, Owsley, KY

Built 2016 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 911

Black Hawk Road

Good

Over: Carr Fork

300 ft. W of KY 15 MP 3.1, Perry, KY

Built 2016 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 113

KY-191

Good

Over: Lacey Creek

.2 MI S OF S-JCT KY 1010, Wolfe, KY

Built 2020 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 1,012

US-60

Good

Over: SINKING CREEK

.8 MI SW OF W-JCT KY 333, Breckinridge, KY

Built 1981 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 6,017

KY-54

Good

Over: US 60 BY-PASS

1.2 MI. N JCT NATCHER PW, Daviess, KY

Built 2000 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 31,947

KY-1244

Good

Over: OVER CROOKED CREEK

.863 MI FROM KY 392, Nicholas, KY

Built 2002 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 42

BRIERLY RIDGE ROAD

Good

Over: ELMS RUN

.25 MI E OF JCT KY 875, Robertson, KY

Built 2011 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 32

KY 585

Good

Over: I-65

7.5 MI N OF STATE LINE, Simpson, KY

Built 2007 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 950

CR-1064

Good

Over: COLLINS FORK

NEAR GREENBRAIR CH R-11, Knox, KY

Built 2014 Load: 46.2 t ADT: 119

Perkins Branch RD

Good

Over: Lost Creek

260 W of KY-15 0.75 MP, Breathitt, KY

Built 1985 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 80

Outland School Rd.

Good

Over: CLAYTON CREEK

.7 MI S. OF KY 1536, Calloway, KY

Built 2022 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 412

PLUM CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK

1.1 MI SE OF JCT US 27, Campbell, KY

Built 2014 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 147

Ky-743

Good

Over: Sulphur Branch

0.39 Mi S of Jct W/Ky 101, Edmonson, KY

Built 2015 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 1,149

KY-680

Good

Over: LITTLE MUD

3rd Bridge from JCT US 23, Floyd, KY

Built 2003 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 2,999

KY-3002

Good

Over: BIG SUGAR CREEK

MI. JCT KY, Gallatin, KY

Built 1998 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 430

Kingston CR1299

Good

Over: S. FK. BAYOU DU CHIEN

0.9 MI N. OF KY 94, Graves, KY

Built 2022 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 63

KY-1698

Good

Over: OVER IC RAILROAD (NOR.)

.05 MI E. OF JCT KY. 307, Hickman, KY

Built 2004 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 17

SCOTTS CHAPEL

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

1.8 MI N. OF KY 70, Livingston, KY

Built 2012 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 109

KY-1949

Good

Over: Smith Creek

.02 MI South of JCT Pur U, Marshall, KY

Built 2019 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 279

Showing 11,801-11,850 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.