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-120

Poor

Over: SLOUGH OF TRADEWATER RIV

.20 MI WEST OF WEBSTER CL, Crittenden, KY

Built 1955 Load: 8.8 t ADT: 443

KY 1989

Poor

Over: HAYDEN CREEK

1.8 MI E OF JCT KY 1941, Mercer, KY

Built 1982 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 225

US-62

Poor

Over: KENTUCKY RIVER

@WOODFORD CO.LN., Anderson, KY

Built 1932 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 3,629

KY-259

Poor

Over: LICK RUN CREEK

2.5 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 144, Breckinridge, KY

Built 1950 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 75

FLINT SPRINGS RD

Poor

Over: INDIAN CAMP CREEK

3 MI W JCT KY 79, Butler, KY

Built 1986 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 60

KY-1592

Poor

Over: TOWERY BRANCH

2.6 MI EAST OF KY 139, Caldwell, KY

Built 1965 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 67

KY-107

Poor

Over: DONALDSON CREEK

3.6 MI S.W. OF JCT KY 287, Christian, KY

Built 1932 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 611

KY-1129

Poor

Over: SAMSON BRANCH

2.1 MI WEST OF JCT KY 239, Fulton, KY

Built 1961 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 174

KY-1129

Poor

Over: SUBLETT CREEK

1.7 MI WEST OF JCT KY 239, Fulton, KY

Built 1961 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 174

KY-86

Poor

Over: BLACK BRANCH

1 MI E OF JCT KY 1375, Hardin, KY

Built 1927 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 3,477

KY-522

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

.3 MI NE OF JCT US 119, Harlan, KY

Built 1928 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 944

KY 38

Poor

Over: Fanny Wynn Branch

_Milepost 19.810, Harlan, KY

Built 1956 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 621

KY-1862

Poor

Over: North Fork KY River

0.2 MI SE of JCT US 119, Letcher, KY

Built 1982 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,196

KY-559

Poor

Over: KINNICONICK CREEK

2.0 MI S.W. OF JCT KY 344, Lewis, KY

Built 1967 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 177

KY-1470

Poor

Over: MARSH CREEK

.2 MI E OF E-JCT KY 592, McCreary, KY

Built 1967 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 197

KY-140

Poor

Over: BR OF LONG FALLS CREEK

.80 MI EAST OF JCT KY 815, McLean, KY

Built 1938 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 440

US-62

Poor

Over: BR OF SHANNON CREEK

.2 MI W OF JCT KY 324, Mason, KY

Built 1981 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 594

KY-1426

Poor

Over: Bent Branch

0.2 MI E of JCT KY 2169, Pike, KY

Built 1921 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,313

KY-1469

Poor

Over: Left Fork Long Fork

@JCT KY 1469 & KY 3414, Pike, KY

Built 1970 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 989

John Moore Br

Poor

Over: Elkhorn Creek

0.1 MI NW of JCT KY 197, Pike, KY

Built 1972 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2,407

KY-3267

Poor

Over: BEE LICK CREEK

2.1 MILES NW OF KY 70, Pulaski, KY

Built 1974 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 69

KY-32

Poor

Over: LYTLES FORK

6.5 MI E of KY 1688, Scott, KY

Built 1969 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 73

KY-525

Poor

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

2.5 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 164, Trigg, KY

Built 1960 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 570

KY-132

Poor

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

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

Built 1941 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 206

KY-2839

Poor

Over: BR TO JACKSON DITCH

1.6 MI N JCT KY 132, Webster, KY

Built 1949 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 153

KY-339

Poor

Over: NORTH BRANCH OF BRUSH CR

2.1 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 849, Graves, KY

Built 1970 Load: 9.2 t ADT: 304

KY-473

Poor

Over: UNNAMED STREAM

.90 MI N.W. OF JCT KY 358, Ballard, KY

Built 1966 Load: 9.3 t ADT: 521

OLD RAILROAD GRADE

Poor

Over: EAST FORK OF BACK CREEK

1 MI N OF JCT W/KY 52, Garrard, KY

Built 1974 Load: 9.3 t ADT: 262

SATTERFIELD RD

Poor

Over: MILL CREEK

0.8 MI.E.- KY 965, Bath, KY

Built 1986 Load: 9.5 t ADT: 307

REDBUD RD

Poor

Over: LITTLE JONATHAN CREEK

250 N. JCT. KY 1346, Calloway, KY

Built 1939 Load: 9.9 t ADT: 107

LOWER TUG FORK RD

Poor

Over: FOURMILE CREEK

.1 MI W OF JCT KY 547, Campbell, KY

Built 1965 Load: 9.9 t ADT: 293

Buckhorn Road

Poor

Over: Taylors Fork Creek

300 E of Jct KY 259, Grayson, KY

Built 1901 Load: 9.9 t ADT: 50

KY-807

Poor

Over: DONALDSON CREEK

1.7 MI WEST OF JCT KY 139, Trigg, KY

Built 1967 Load: 9.9 t ADT: 135

KY 17

Poor

Over: OHIO RIVER

SUSPENSION BR OVR OHIO RV, Kenton, KY

Built 1867 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 9,054

ARVIL LANE

Poor

Over: COPPER CREEK

0.16 MI N of KY 3109, Rockcastle, KY

Built 1999 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 38

KY-1920

Poor

Over: WILSON CREEK

W OF WIHTES RD., Boyle, KY

Built 1965 Load: 10.1 t ADT: 552

KY-1836

Poor

Over: DAMON CREEK

.80 MI NOR. OF JCT KY 464, Calloway, KY

Built 1972 Load: 10.1 t ADT: 132

KY-2422

Poor

Over: BR OF OBION CREEK

1 MI E OF JCT CR 5330, Graves, KY

Built 1970 Load: 10.1 t ADT: 134

Rockhouse Frk

Poor

Over: Big Creek

0.1 MI W of JCT KY 468, Pike, KY

Built 1975 Load: 10.2 t ADT: 1,518

SILVER CREEK RD

Poor

Over: SILVER CREEK

.05 MI N JCT CARLISLE, Lee, KY

Built 1970 Load: 10.3 t ADT: 50

KY-174

Poor

Over: TYGARTS CREEK

.20 MI SOU. OF JCT US 60, Carter, KY

Built 1969 Load: 10.5 t ADT: 1,642

KY-1382

Poor

Over: POWELL CREEK

1.8 MI NOR. OF TENN STA L, Graves, KY

Built 1954 Load: 10.6 t ADT: 178

Tackett Branch Rd

Poor

Over: Long Fork

At JCT KY 1469, Pike, KY

Built 2004 Load: 10.6 t ADT: 192

KY-196

Poor

Over: LITTLE WHITE OAK CREEK

.7 MI S OF KY 80, Pulaski, KY

Built 1989 Load: 10.7 t ADT: 1,954

LEMONS MILL RD

Poor

Over: NS (CNO&TP) SYSTEM

.5 MI E-BROADWAY-US 25, Scott, KY

Built 1971 Load: 10.8 t ADT: 1,664

ALBERT HOOK ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE HUMPHREY CR

1.5 MI E OF JCT KY 802, Ballard, KY

Built 1988 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 32

KY-1917

Poor

Over: BR OF WOLF CREEK

2.25 M. S. OF KY. 120, Crittenden, KY

Built 1969 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 54

JEFFERSON STREET

Poor

Over: BR OF CANE CREEK

300 S OF DEPOT ST., Hickman, KY

Built 1940 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 545

OLD CLARK STA RD

Poor

Over: BRUSH RUN

AT KY 148, Jefferson, KY

Built 1980 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 151

LOVERS LN EAST

Poor

Over: INDIAN LICK CR

.9 MI E OF JCT KY 68, Marion, KY

Built 1988 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 428

Showing 13,701-13,750 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.