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

ON THE LINE ROAD

Fair

Over: NOAHS SPRINGS BRANCH

522-543, Montgomery, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300

BOILING SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: PINEY FORK CREEK

540-522, Montgomery, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 500

PALMYRA ROAD

Fair

Over: PINEY FORK CREEK

0.5 MI SW MABRY/PALMYRA, Montgomery, TN

Built 1953 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 500

INDIAN MOUND ROAD

Fair

Over: PINEY FORK CREEK

0.6 MI S JORDAN SPRINGS, Stewart, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300

101ST AIRBORN D RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE WEST FORK CREEK

0.3 MI S WILLIAM C LEE RD, Montgomery, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

FENCE PATROL ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE WEST FORK CREEK

597-512, Montgomery, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

WEST END RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE WEST FORK CREEK

556-519, Montgomery, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300

FENCE PATROL ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE WEST FORK CREEK

0.5 MI S MABRY/FENCE PATR, Montgomery, TN

Built 1953 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

ARTILLERY ROAD

Fair

Over: SALINE CREEK

0.1 MI W/W PERIMETER RD, Montgomery, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

FAP 9

Fair

Over: COVE LAKE

2 M W OF CARYVILLE, Campbell, TN

Built 1968 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 32,569

FAP 33 730787P

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

2.1 M E OF TAZEWELL, Claiborne, TN

Built 1951 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 12,422

I65 350215N

Fair

Over: CSX RAILROAD

.2 M N WILLAMS0N CO LN, Davidson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 123,245

NFA A144

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

1MI SOUTH OF SR52, Fentress, TN

Built 1935 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 50

NFA 1785 (SA 4214)

Fair

Over: YELLOW CREEK

8 M SE OF ERIN, Houston, TN

Built 1985 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 174

FAU 3776 RAMP

Fair

Over: FAU 3776 / S. CENTRAL AV

DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 1973 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,865

NFA A279 297429M

Fair

Over: IC RAILROAD

2 MI. SE OF SR3, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1997 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 500

FAP 19 309264E

Fair

Over: CNIC RAILROAD

0.19 MI. E OF SR-209 JCT., Lauderdale, TN

Built 1987 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 4,476

NFA 947

Fair

Over: I75

1.1 MI S BRAD MCMINN C L, McMinn, TN

Built 1972 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,262

FAU 800 (SA 7532)

Fair

Over: LYTLE CREEK

SUNBURN DR NEAR DELBRIDGE, Rutherford, TN

Built 1956 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 19,727

I240 EB EX RP

Fair

Over: RAMP TO MT MORIAH RD

I240 & SR 385 JCT, Shelby, TN

Built 1993 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 176,791

FAU 2867

Fair

Over: BRANCH

QUINCE RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1965 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 18,528

FAU 2867

Fair

Over: BRANCH

QUINCE RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1965 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 18,528

FAU 4870

Fair

Over: FAU 4870 / SR 386

3.6 MI NE JCT SR 6 &SR258, Sumner, TN

Built 1981 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 6,515

NFA A364

Fair

Over: COLLINS RIVER

3MI EAST OF SR56, Warren, TN

Built 1978 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 210

FAS 96

Fair

Over: CENTER HILL DAM SPILLWAY

CENTER HILL DAM, DeKalb, TN

Built 1948 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 684

I75 LF LN

Fair

Over: SR 9

IN VELLICO, Campbell, TN

Built 1964 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 21,912

FAP 55 NBL

Fair

Over: I24

SR55/I-24 IN MANCHESTER, Coffee, TN

Built 1973 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 16,822

FAS 210

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

0.3 M N LAUDERDALE CO, Dyer, TN

Built 1924 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 1,867

NFA A934

Fair

Over: LICK CREEK

3.3 M N OF SR340-SR349 JC, Greene, TN

Built 1998 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 160

FAP 50

Fair

Over: FOUNTAIN CREEK

.6 M SE JCT SR273&SR50, Maury, TN

Built 1981 Load: 33.3 t ADT: 7,137

I40

Fair

Over: PIGEON RIVER

9.74 M.FROM JEFFERSON CO, Cocke, TN

Built 1970 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 29,828

I40 WBL

Fair

Over: PINEY CREEK

1.8 MI FM ROANE CO. LI, Cumberland, TN

Built 1968 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 30,681

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Fair

Over: 6 ROUTES

I-40 EXIT 204, Davidson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 47,778

FAP 1

Fair

Over: I440 & RMP-D

I0440 @ WEST END AVE I/C, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 31,334

FAU 106

Fair

Over: I440

I440 LOOP IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 35,470

FAU 6

Fair

Over: STR 2 / RMP SD TO 3252

.5 M N SR6&ELLINGTON IC, Davidson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 17,296

FAP 70

Fair

Over: COVE CREEK

.2 M W OF SR107, Greene, TN

Built 1937 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 2,000

FAS 180

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

.1 MI W OF TULOM RD, Haywood, TN

Built 1960 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 601

FAS 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2 MI E JCT SR76, Haywood, TN

Built 1925 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 5,411

NFA A080

Fair

Over: WILSON RD. / I75

1.5 M W OF SHARPS GAP, Knox, TN

Built 1981 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 6,050

NFA A157

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK BUFFALO RIVER

3 M. N. ETHERIDGE, Lawrence, TN

Built 1940 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 440

FAS 244

Fair

Over: PLEASANT VALLEY CREEK

1 M SW JCT SR50&SR244, Lincoln, TN

Built 1957 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 1,169

FAS 273

Fair

Over: BRANCH

9 M. S. OF FAIRVIEW, Lincoln, TN

Built 1988 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 1,644

I75 RT LN

Fair

Over: NFA 1247 KINGSTON ST

1.4 M SE OF LENIOR CITY, Loudon, TN

Built 1972 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 55,134

FAS 224

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.23 MI.SOUTH OF ENVILLE, McNairy, TN

Built 1998 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 512

I40 LF LN

Fair

Over: NFA 2366

2.2 M SE JCT I40&SR326, Roane, TN

Built 1970 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 44,926

NFA 2377 (SA 7605)

Fair

Over: NEW RIVER

2 M SE OF US27-SR63 JCT, Scott, TN

Built 1975 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 379

FAU 5221

Fair

Over: LICK CREEK

VOLLINTINE AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 7,714

FAU 5207

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

RAGAN ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1986 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 1,406

NFA B518

Fair

Over: BLACK BAYOU

BARRON RD IN MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1954 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 1,750

Showing 10,251-10,300 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.