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

LONG BRANCH ROAD

Poor

Over: BULLSKIN CREEK

.1 MI S OF JCT KY 1482, Clay, KY

Built 1965 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 26

BUENA VISTA RD

Poor

Over: BR-NORTH ELKHORN

500FT WEST OF ELKHORN RD, Fayette, KY

Built 1992 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 1,212

GUYNN ROAD

Poor

Over: WALNUT MEADOW BRANCH

.1 MI W JCT 595, Madison, KY

Built 1991 Load: 22.2 t ADT: 367

KY-217

Poor

Over: BROWNIES CREEK

.05 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 987, Bell, KY

Built 1967 Load: 22.3 t ADT: 305

WILLIAMS BR RIGHT

Poor

Over: RIGHT FORK CREEK

.80 MI S OF JCT KY 1534, Bell, KY

Built 1972 Load: 22.3 t ADT: 140

LEESBURG PIKE

Poor

Over: CHERRY RUN

.25 MI N JCT US 460, Scott, KY

Built 1994 Load: 22.3 t ADT: 1,379

CR-1029

Poor

Over: JOES BRANCH

.25 MI N OF JCT CR 5021, Daviess, KY

Built 1955 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 766

KY-922

Poor

Over: MUDDY FORD CREEK

2.0 MI S OF JCT KY 620, Scott, KY

Built 1970 Load: 22.5 t ADT: 170

ED MITCHELL RD

Poor

Over: BRUSHY GROVE CREEK

1 MI NW OF KY 126, Trigg, KY

Built 1970 Load: 22.6 t ADT: 112

BUFFALO RD

Poor

Over: STILLHOUSE BRANCH (NORTH

.8 MI E OF JCT KY 128, Trigg, KY

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 154

SKYLAND ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE YELLOW CREEK

0.4 MILES TO U.S. ROUTE 2, Bell, KY

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 300

WORKMAN RD

Poor

Over: DARNELL CREEK

250 SOUTH CR 5491, Calloway, KY

Built 1993 Load: 22.8 t ADT: 42

KY-1355

Poor

Over: TURNERS BRANCH

2 MI E OF JCT KY 1971, Garrard, KY

Built 1972 Load: 22.8 t ADT: 255

ROBERTS RD

Poor

Over: ELK CREEK

0.1 MI S OF KY 1633, Spencer, KY

Built 1963 Load: 22.9 t ADT: 148

KY-740

Poor

Over: BLUE SPRINGS CREEK

1.8 MI EAST OF JCT KY 70, Barren, KY

Built 1969 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 437

CR1247 TerrysFkRd

Poor

Over: TERRY FORK

.2 M East KY-219, Harlan, KY

Built 1976 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 350

JELLICO CREEK RD

Poor

Over: JELLICO CREEK

@WHITLEY CO.LN., McCreary, KY

Built 1960 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 25

KY-55

Poor

Over: ROAD RUN CREEK

.15 MI NOR. OF JCT US 150, Washington, KY

Built 1933 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 2,412

KY-1659

Poor

Over: CAMDEN CREEK

3.0 MI NORTH OF JCT US 60, Woodford, KY

Built 1970 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 344

Wolfpit Branch Rd

Poor

Over: Wolfpit Branch

1.60 MI W OF JCT KY 195, Pike, KY

Built 1960 Load: 23.1 t ADT: 300

Lloyd Cemetary Rd.

Poor

Over: Big Renox Creek

0.08 Mi W of KY 61, Cumberland, KY

Built 2013 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 10

KY-1965

Poor

Over: TANNERS CREEK

2.0 MI S OF JCT KY 1964, Woodford, KY

Built 1970 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 202

KY-1571

Poor

Over: COW CREEK

.1 MI E OF JCT KY 1645, Estill, KY

Built 1970 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 1,287

I-64 WB

Poor

Over: KENTUCKY RIVER

2.3 MI E OF US 127, Franklin, KY

Built 1963 Load: 23.5 t ADT: 24,081

I-64 EB

Poor

Over: KENTUCKY RIVER

2.3 MI E OF US 127, Franklin, KY

Built 1963 Load: 23.5 t ADT: 24,081

HAWESVILLE EASTON

Poor

Over: SUGARCAMP BRANCH

75 NW-JCT CR 5133 (WEST), Hancock, KY

Built 1940 Load: 23.5 t ADT: 300

OLD HILDA RD

Poor

Over: OVER LITTLE BRUSHY CREEK

.163 MI FROM KY 32, Rowan, KY

Built 2002 Load: 23.5 t ADT: 114

SANDIFUR CROSSING

Poor

Over: MUDDY CREEK

1.1 MI W OF JCT CR 5125, Ohio, KY

Built 1981 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 87

KY-1812

Poor

Over: QUICKSAND CREEK

.1 MI W OF S JCT KY 15, Breathitt, KY

Built 1929 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,483

KY 157

Poor

Over: LITTLE KENTUCKY RIVER

400 FT W OF KY 1606, Henry, KY

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 780

KY-1088

Poor

Over: Yellow Creek

@ Perry Co Line, Knott, KY

Built 1927 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,076

KY-680

Poor

Over: LEFT FK.-BEAVER CREEK

50 EAST. KY 122@ MCDOWEL, Floyd, KY

Built 1979 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 2,182

KY-459

Poor

Over: INDIAN CREEK

.10 MI SOU. OF JCT KY 6, Knox, KY

Built 1975 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 197

KY-1787

Poor

Over: CLEAR CREEK

2.2 MI NW OF JCT KY 1912, Rockcastle, KY

Built 1970 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 120

KY-620

Poor

Over: EAGLE CREEK

.90 MI W. OF JCT KY 922, Scott, KY

Built 1970 Load: 23.9 t ADT: 193

KY-3179

Poor

Over: PETER CREEK

2.3 MI. NORTH -JCT. KY 87, Barren, KY

Built 1980 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 286

KY-794

Poor

Over: CALLOWAY CREEK

.10 MI EAST OF JCT KY 89, Estill, KY

Built 1950 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 203

WASHINGTON STREET

Poor

Over: CANOE CREEK

.23 MI WEST OF JCT US 41, Henderson, KY

Built 1952 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,397

KY-408

Poor

Over: CLARKS RIVER

1.5 MI EAST OF JCT US 641, Marshall, KY

Built 1927 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,776

ELK ST

Poor

Over: ELK SPRING CREEK

.25 MI SE-MAIN ST-KY90BUS, Wayne, KY

Built 1973 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 414

VAN CLEAVE RD

Poor

Over: BR.OF E.FK CLARKS RIVER

.3 MI NE OF JCT KY 80, Calloway, KY

Built 1965 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 478

KY-552

Poor

Over: LITTLE LAUREL RIVER

.75 MI W OF I-75 OP, Laurel, KY

Built 1985 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 630

KY-325

Poor

Over: LITTLE TWIN CREEK

.6 MI N.E. - JCT. KY 355, Owen, KY

Built 1986 Load: 24.1 t ADT: 256

KY-608

Poor

Over: RAYS FORK

1.2 MI E OF OWEN CO.LN., Scott, KY

Built 1983 Load: 24.2 t ADT: 85

KY-3297

Poor

Over: UPPER STINSON CREEK

.4 MI E OF JCT KY 1910, Carter, KY

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,156

KY 1861

Poor

Over: LITTLE KENTUCKY RIVER

0.60 MI E OF KY 322, Henry, KY

Built 1980 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 517

KY-908

Poor

Over: Turkey Creek

0.35 MI SW of JCT KY 292, Martin, KY

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 470

KY-54

Poor

Over: BR OF MILL CREEK

.50 MI WEST OF JCT KY 69-, Ohio, KY

Built 1926 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,275

KY-66

Poor

Over: RED BIRD CREEK

.05 MI W OF JCT KY 2011, Bell, KY

Built 1951 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 209

CR1420 Wolf Hollow

Poor

Over: Branch Pond Creek

1.25M East KY 630, Hopkins, KY

Built 1987 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 67

Showing 14,101-14,150 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.