State profile · Below median Poor share

Tennessee 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 Tennessee.

20,379
Public bridges
42.5%
Good condition
4.4%
Poor condition

Tennessee holds 20,379 public highway bridges (#10 of 52 by inventory) with a 4.41% Poor share (#41 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 4.4% 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 12 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

20,379

Public highway bridges in Tennessee

Good Condition

42.5%

8,664 bridges rated 7-9

-7.5pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

4.4%

898 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-3.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

Tennessee vs national bridge condition

Tennessee - Good condition share 42.5%
National avg

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

Tennessee - Poor-condition share 14.7%
National avg

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

Tennessee 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: Tennessee has 20,379 bridges and a 4.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #12 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 (%) TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%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%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%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%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: Tennessee has 20,379 bridges and a 4.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #12 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.

Tennessee 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

20,379 10th of 54 higher than 44 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 Tennessee

The highlighted point is Tennessee: 20,379 bridges and 4.41% in Poor condition, rank #12 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Tennessee on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Alabama: 16,205 bridges · 3.35% Poor
  • Virginia: 14,120 bridges · 3.39% Poor
  • Tennessee: 20,379 bridges · 4.41% Poor
  • Minnesota: 13,532 bridges · 4.44% Poor
  • New Mexico: 4,035 bridges · 4.51% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Tennessee

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 20,379 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Tennessee’s inventory

State agency holds 41.4% of the 20,379 public highway bridges filed under Tennessee in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Tennessee’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 11.7% of the 20,379 bridges with a recorded original year in Tennessee. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Tennessee42.5%53.1%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Tennessee (FHWA NBI)

Counties (95)

Anderson 175 Bedford 294 Benton 147 Bledsoe 83 Blount 215 Bradley 199 Campbell 137 Cannon 159 Carroll 240 Carter 195 Cheatham 128 Chester 127 Claiborne 98 Clay 64 Cocke 190 Coffee 217 Crockett 167 Cumberland 137 Davidson 832 DeKalb 100 Decatur 104 Dickson 243 Dyer 232 Fayette 336 Fentress 55 Franklin 157 Gibson 386 Giles 321 Grainger 88 Greene 306 Grundy 85 Hamblen 119 Hamilton 464 Hancock 61 Hardeman 223 Hardin 192 Hawkins 190 Haywood 241 Henderson 207 Henry 187 Hickman 331 Houston 118 Humphreys 250 Jackson 131 Jefferson 122 Johnson 109 Knox 588 Lake 30 Lauderdale 258 Lawrence 211 Lewis 136 Lincoln 304 Loudon 117 Macon 169 Madison 418 Marion 177 Marshall 240 Maury 424 McMinn 219 McNairy 218 Meigs 76 Monroe 145 Montgomery 186 Moore 69 Morgan 120 Obion 381 Overton 78 Perry 153 Pickett 30 Polk 140 Putnam 167 Rhea 100 Roane 159 Robertson 204 Rutherford 428 Scott 111 Sequatchie 67 Sevier 273 Shelby 1077 Smith 202 Stewart 168 Sullivan 368 Sumner 398 Tipton 201 Trousdale 88 Unicoi 161 Union 61 Van Buren 37 Warren 160 Washington 284 Wayne 274 Weakley 351 White 69 Williamson 520 Wilson 402

Tennessee 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 Tennessee on the same metric.

AL

Alabama

3.35% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,205

VA

Virginia

3.39% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,120
Selected

TN

Tennessee

4.41% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$20,379

MN

Minnesota

4.44% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$13,532

NM

New Mexico

4.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,035

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Tennessee

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

NFA A868

Poor

Over: NINE MILE CREEK

14 M. SW. MARYVILLE., Blount, TN

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 40

NFA 5551

Poor

Over: GALLAGHER CREEK

SW OF SR 333, Blount, TN

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,214

DOSSETT LANE

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

DOSSETT LANE / CSX RAILRO, Campbell, TN

Built 1915 Load: 0.0 t

NFA A258

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

IN THE CITY OF MCKENZIE, Carroll, TN

Built 1960 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 850

FAU 06022

Poor

Over: GAP CREEK

2 MI SE OF SR 67, Carter, TN

Built 1948 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2,752

NFA A985

Poor

Over: STONEY CREEK

S OF SR91-NE PART OF CO., Carter, TN

Built 1978 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 170

All Bridges in Tennessee

FAU 1406

Fair

Over: STRINGERS BRANCH

IN CHATTANOOGA, Hamilton, TN

Built 1923 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 20,371

FAP 125

Fair

Over: CRYSTAL SPRING BRANCH

IN MIDDLETON, Hardeman, TN

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,763

NFA A151

Fair

Over: EXCHANGE RD. / I-40

OVER I40, Henderson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 120

NFA 902 (SA 4020)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2 MI SOUTH OF SR 76, Henry, TN

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 513

NFA 1405 (SA 4505)

Fair

Over: I40

FIRST EXIT IN COUNTY, Jefferson, TN

Built 1973 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,764

NFA A663

Fair

Over: CROWSON CREEK

4.2 M. NW. LAWRENCEBURG., Lawrence, TN

Built 1975 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 290

NFA A455

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

1MI WEST OF I75, McMinn, TN

Built 1975 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

NFA 1853

Fair

Over: LOUISE CREEK

3 MI SE CUNNINGHAM, Montgomery, TN

Built 1963 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 482

NFA A423

Fair

Over: BAGGETT BRANCH

4.5 M. SW. CUNNINGHAM., Montgomery, TN

Built 1988 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 50

NFA A098

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.4 MI W JCT SR5&KY LINE, Obion, TN

Built 1970 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 220

NFA A120

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

3.2 MI NW JCT SR5&SR22, Obion, TN

Built 1975 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 120

NFA A139

Fair

Over: N FORK HOOSIER CREEK

1.4 MI NW JCT SR5&SR22, Obion, TN

Built 1975 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 190

NFA A279

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

4.7 MI E JCT SR3&SR21, Obion, TN

Built 1970 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 170

NFA A590

Fair

Over: BRANCH

IN THE CITY OF TROY, Obion, TN

Built 2004 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 350

FAS 175

Fair

Over: SR-175 / I-55

SR-175 / I-55, Shelby, TN

Built 2002 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 31,267

FAP 1

Fair

Over: FLETCHER CREEK

MEMPHIS 1.5 MI.E.OF I-240, Shelby, TN

Built 1926 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 36,466

NFA 1085 (SA 8007)

Fair

Over: WILBURN CREEK

4.8 MI NW JCT SR80&SR85, Smith, TN

Built 1955 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 187

FAS 120

Fair

Over: SCOTT BRANCH

.55 MI.S. OF KY., Stewart, TN

Built 1939 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 571

NFA C519

Fair

Over: BRANCH

JUST NW OF US11W-SR37 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1915 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

I81

Fair

Over: SR 37

3 M NE JCT I81&SR126, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 29,247

FAU 3921 731094W

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

IN BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1996 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,211

NFA A491

Fair

Over: GRANNY LEWIS CREEK

1.6 M NE JCT SR36&SR81, Unicoi, TN

Built 1951 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,430

NFA A241

Fair

Over: BRANCH

N OFF US11E-BTWN SR81&75, Washington, TN

Built 1925 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 130

NFA A312

Fair

Over: LITTLE CYPRESS CREEK

1.3 MI NW JCT SR 13&SR227, Wayne, TN

Built 1988 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 120

FAS 106

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1 M N JCT SR247&SR106, Williamson, TN

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 7,043

NEWFOUND GAP ROAD

Fair

Over: WEST PRONG LITTLE PIGEON

13.0 MILES NORTHWEST FROM, Sevier, TN

Built 1937 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 10,764

LAUREL CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: WEST PRONG LITTLE RIVER

5.7 MI TO CADES COVE, Blount, TN

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,436

LAUREL CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: LAUREL CREEK

2.7 MILES FROM NPS ROUTE, Blount, TN

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,436

LAUREL CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: LAUREL CREEK

3.7 MILES SOUTH FROM NPS, Blount, TN

Built 1948 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,436

VON KARMAN ROAD

Fair

Over: HYPERBALLISTICS RANGE

0.7 miles West of Base En, Franklin, TN

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 150

NFA A136

Fair

Over: I75

JUST SE OF SR61-I75 EXIT, Anderson, TN

Built 1969 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 700

NFA A116

Fair

Over: BEE CREEK

.5 MI FROM CUMBERLAND CO., Bledsoe, TN

Built 1988 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 10

FAU 4617

Fair

Over: SOUTH MOUSE CREEK

IN CITY OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 1960 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 6,306

NFA A249

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

E OF SR67-N OF SR36 JCT., Carter, TN

Built 1960 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 250

FAS 196

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

.6 MI S OF GALLAWAY, Fayette, TN

Built 1952 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 2,044

NFA A800

Fair

Over: LEATHERWOOD CREEK

3.3 MI.E.OF PULASKI, Giles, TN

Built 1930 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 60

NFA A771

Fair

Over: UGLY CREEK

UGLY RD SE CENTERVILLE, Hickman, TN

Built 1987 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 20

NFA 1829 (SA 6005)

Fair

Over: CATHEYS CREEK

9 M. NW. MT. PLEASANT., Maury, TN

Built 1949 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 311

FAS 304

Fair

Over: DRAKE BRANCH

.5 MI.S.OF WATTS BAR RES., Meigs, TN

Built 1979 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 966

NFA A236

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

3.75 M. N. ST. BETHLEHEM., Montgomery, TN

Built 1965 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 9,811

NFSR 217

Fair

Over: SUGAR COVE BR.

SUGAR COVE BRANCH, Monroe, TN

Built 1935 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 50

NFA 2261 (SA 0606)

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

1.5 MI NORTH OF I75, Bradley, TN

Built 1950 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,070

FAP 12

Fair

Over: HALF PONE CREEK

2.2 MI.S.OF MONTGOMERY CO, Cheatham, TN

Built 1955 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 4,778

NFA A297

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.0 MI SE JCT SR100&SR125, Chester, TN

Built 1983 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 80

NFA A009

Fair

Over: PIGEON RIVER

BTWN I40-SR73 JCT & US25, Cocke, TN

Built 1984 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 430

FAU 1004

Fair

Over: I40

NEW HOPE RD @I40-, Davidson, TN

Built 1964 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 57,507

I40

Fair

Over: I-440W RAMP

I40-I440 INTERCHANGE, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 99,242

BRILEY PKWY.

Fair

Over: CUMBERLAND RIVER & B428

2 M S JCT SR6&SR45, Davidson, TN

Built 2005 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 71,975

NFA 853 (SA 2713)

Fair

Over: RUTHERFORD FK. OBION RIV

3.3 MI N JCT SR43&SR77, Gibson, TN

Built 1980 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 928

FAS 348

Fair

Over: LICK CREEK

1.1 M SW OF COCKE CO LN, Greene, TN

Built 1987 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 626

Showing 551-600 of 20,379 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 Tennessee's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Tennessee 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. Tennessee 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.