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

NFA 1459 (SA 7914)

Fair

Over: LOOSAHATCHIE RIVER

BRUNSWICK RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,999

NFA 1459 (SA 7914)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

BRUNSWICK RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,335

NFA 1459 (SA 7914)

Fair

Over: WEST BEAVER CREEK

DEADFALL RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,696

NFA C106

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

LITTLEJOHN RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20

NFA 1462 (SA 7919)

Fair

Over: JAKES CREEK

CUBA-MILLINGTON RD-SHELBY, Shelby, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 819

NFA 1463 (SA 7924)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

SLEDGE RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,982

NFA 1464 (SA 7921)

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

WEST UNION RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,488

NFA 1464 (SA 7921)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WEST UNION RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,488

NFA 1464 (SA 7921)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WEST UNION RD-SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,488

NFA 1464 (SA 7921)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WEST UNION RD.-N. OF MEMP, Shelby, TN

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,488

NFA 1466 (SA 7928)

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

KERR-ROSEMARK RD-SHELBY, Shelby, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 987

NFA 1466 (SA 7928)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

KERR-ROSEMARK RD-SHELBY, Shelby, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 987

NFA 1466 (SA 7928)

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

KERRVILLE-ROSEMARK RD, Shelby, TN

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 987

NFA 1468 (SA 7925)

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

MUDVILLE RD.-SHELBY CO., Shelby, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,107

NFA 1468 (SA 7925)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

MUDVILLE RD.-SHELBY CO., Shelby, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,107

PERKINS RD.

Fair

Over: BNSF RAILWAY

PERKINS RD IN MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,887

PERKINS RD.

Fair

Over: BNSF RAILWAY

PERKINS RD IN MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,887

FAU 2815

Fair

Over: JAMES RD.

JAMES RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,822

NFA D136

Fair

Over: JAMES RD.

JAMES RD @ SCENIC HWY-MEM, Shelby, TN

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150

FAU 2824

Fair

Over: CHEROKEE BAYOU

PRESCOTT RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,645

FAU 4186

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

HIGHLAND ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,669

FAU 2824

Fair

Over: WORKHOUSE BAYOU

N HIGHLAND ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,441

GRAHAM ST.

Fair

Over: SAM COOPER BLVD.

GRAHAM ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,841

FAU 2827

Fair

Over: BRANCH

MT MORIAH RD EXTD-MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30,248

FAU 2828

Fair

Over: BRANCH

HICKORY HILL RD / MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,409

NFA 2830

Fair

Over: NONCONNAH CREEK

WINCHESTER RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,592

FAU 5203

Fair

Over: HERNANDO RD / NORRIS RD

HERNANDO RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,309

FAU 2842

Fair

Over: DITCH

NEW HORN LAKE RD-MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,998

FAU 2861

Fair

Over: CYPRESS CREEK

SOUTHERN AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,170

FAU 2861

Fair

Over: BRANCH

SOUTHERN AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,895

FAU 2869

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CREEK

RAINES RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,710

FAU 2870

Fair

Over: BURLIGNTON-NORTHERN RR

AMERICAN WAY, Shelby, TN

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,408

FAU 2875

Fair

Over: FLETCHER CREEK

SYCAMORE VIEW RD. - MEM, Shelby, TN

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 37,446

FAU 2875 877306D

Fair

Over: CSX RAILROAD

BARTLETT BLVD - BARTLETT, Shelby, TN

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,618

FAU 2878

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

RALEIGH-LAGRANGE RD-MEMPH, Shelby, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 29,644

FAU 2878

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RALEIGH-LAGRANGE RD-MEMPH, Shelby, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25,735

FAU 2878

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RALEIGH-LAGRANGE RD-MEMPH, Shelby, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25,735

FAU 2883

Fair

Over: BRANCH

DEMOCRAT RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,980

FAU 4015

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RIDGEMONT RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,584

FAU 4032 348582W

Fair

Over: ABANDONED RAILROAD

SAM COOPER BLVD / RR SPUR, Shelby, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 79,787

FAU 4032

Fair

Over: WHITE STATION CREEK

SAM COOPER BLVD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 79,787

FAU 4187

Fair

Over: BRANCH

GOODLETT AVE. - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,014

FAU 4189

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RAINES RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,846

FAU 4385

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RIVERDALE RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 36,169

FAU 4385

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RIVERDALE RD. - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,408

FAU 4385

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RIVERDALE RD. - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 43,408

FAU 5011

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

WOLF RIVER PKWY - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,714

FAU 5011

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WOLF RIVER PKWY - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,714

FAU 5012

Fair

Over: BRANCH

KNIGHT-ARNOLD RD., Shelby, TN

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,199

FAU 5037

Fair

Over: KIRBY CREEK

ROSS RD-SHELBY CO., Shelby, TN

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,037

Showing 8,951-9,000 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.