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

FAP 3

Fair

Over: DOUBLE BRANCH

0.93 MI. N OF SR-180 JCT., Lauderdale, TN

Built 1963 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 9,213

NFA A381

Fair

Over: WASHBURN BRANCH

8 M. S. FAYETTEVILLE, Lincoln, TN

Built 1985 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 160

FAS 176

Fair

Over: NONCONNAH CREEK

0.2 MI. S OF I-240 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1954 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 43,614

FAS 204 348507K

Fair

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.46 MI. N OF I-40 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1972 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 42,256

NFA 810 (SA 4821)

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

3 MI N OF FAYETTE CO., Tipton, TN

Built 1957 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 861

FAP 54

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

8.6 MI.EAST OF COVINGTON, Tipton, TN

Built 1956 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 2,521

FAP 33

Fair

Over: BULL RUN CREEK

.8 M NE OF KNOX CO LN, Union, TN

Built 1966 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 14,065

NFA A017

Fair

Over: SR 111

0.5 MI. FROM PUTMAN CO LN, White, TN

Built 1986 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 170

GRSM INSTITUTE ENT

Fair

Over: MIDDLE PRONG LITTLE RIVE

0.1 MILES TO NPS ROUTE 12, Blount, TN

Built 1965 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 512

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Fair

Over: BIG SWAN CREEK

0.1 MILES FROM TN ROUTE 9, Lewis, TN

Built 1966 Load: 34.5 t ADT: 210

I75 730907D

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

11.59 MI.FROM KNOX CO.LN., Anderson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 41,884

NFA B428

Fair

Over: MCGAVOCK PK / BRILEY PKW

NEAR OPRYLAND-NASHVILLE., Davidson, TN

Built 1971 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 19,260

I65

Fair

Over: I65 RL / NFA A276

3.1 MI N ALA-TN ST LI, Giles, TN

Built 1964 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 26,659

I65

Fair

Over: I65 LL / NFA A276

3.1 MI N ALA-TN ST LI, Giles, TN

Built 1964 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 26,659

FAP 1

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

1.9 MI. E. OF MCEWEN, Humphreys, TN

Built 1925 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 9,403

NFA A500

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

AT RIPLEY CITY LIMITS, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1990 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 695

I75

Fair

Over: SR 1

3 M NE OF KNOX CO LN, Loudon, TN

Built 1964 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 58,302

FAP 111

Fair

Over: FAU 1016

1 M. SE CKVLE AIRPORT, Putnam, TN

Built 1980 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 25,675

FAS 257

Fair

Over: BETHEL RD / I65 NBL

OVER BETHEL ROAD, Robertson, TN

Built 1969 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 5,019

NFA 994 (SA 9422)

Fair

Over: LEIPERS FORK CREEK

4.2 MI SW JCT SR46&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 1986 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 2,724

NFA A719

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

1.3 MI EAST OF SR141, Wilson, TN

Built 1986 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 630

NFA A448

Fair

Over: PIGEON RIVER

JUST NW OF I40&FOOTHILLS, Cocke, TN

Built 1985 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 390

FAU 45

Fair

Over: WHITES CREEK

0.98 MI. E. SR-65, Davidson, TN

Built 2005 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 3,635

I440

Fair

Over: I440-RMP-G-STR-A/I24 SR1

I440-I24 LOOP IN NASHVILL, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 96,163

FAU 11

Fair

Over: STR 15@ ELLINGTON PKY I/

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

Built 1965 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 7,155

I40

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.4 M NE JCT I40&SR196, Fayette, TN

Built 1963 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 38,372

NFA 1350 (SA 3016)

Fair

Over: I81

JUST NE OF I81-US11E EXCH, Greene, TN

Built 1972 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 1,694

FAP 160

Fair

Over: SR 343 & BRANCH

.7 M NW JCT OF SR32&SR160, Hamblen, TN

Built 1992 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 19,039

FAS 87

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3 MI N OF SR 54, Haywood, TN

Built 1990 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 313

FAU 4032

Fair

Over: VAUGHN RD.

SAM COOPER BLVD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1969 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 53,975

FAU 2867

Fair

Over: QUINCE AVE / I-240

QUINCE AVE. - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1957 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 18,630

I81

Fair

Over: SR 36

2.4 M NE JCT I81&I181, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 33,875

FAS 284

Fair

Over: SR-111

SR-111 INTERSECTION, Van Buren, TN

Built 2012 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 1,023

FAP 431

Fair

Over: LITTLE CYPRESS CREEK

3 MILES W.OF MARTIN, Weakley, TN

Built 1929 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 2,166

NFA A143

Fair

Over: BR OF EPPERSON CREEK

4 MI E OF SR20, Crockett, TN

Built 2007 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 140

FAP 26

Fair

Over: CANEY FORK RIVER

IN SMITHVILLE CITY LIMITS, DeKalb, TN

Built 2015 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,367

FAP 100

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

.2 MI.SOUTH OF WRIGLEY, Hickman, TN

Built 1931 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 11,660

NFA 822 (SA 4929)

Fair

Over: OLD BED S.FRK.FRD.DEER R

AT CROCKETT CO LINE, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1996 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 683

FAP 43

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

.3 MI.NE.OF FAIRVIEW, Madison, TN

Built 1989 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 15,685

FAP 43

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

N OF JACKSON, Madison, TN

Built 1989 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 15,685

I24

Fair

Over: I24 RL / SR 76

6.7 MI.NW.OF ROBERTSON, Montgomery, TN

Built 1972 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 88,998

FAP 22

Fair

Over: HOOSIER CREEK

2.7 MI.W.OF UNION CITY, Obion, TN

Built 1949 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,506

NFA L004

Fair

Over: GRAYS CREEK

PISGAH RD 1.5 M S SR 15, Shelby, TN

Built 1994 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 2,730

FAU 2818

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

WALNUT GROVE RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 2007 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 48,121

FAP 3

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

US-51 (SR-3), Shelby, TN

Built 2012 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 13,073

I40

Fair

Over: CANEY FORK RIVER

IN SMITH CO., Smith, TN

Built 1962 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 44,898

FAS 59

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

226ILES WEST OF GILT EDGE, Tipton, TN

Built 1990 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 851

I26

Fair

Over: NFA A061-DEWEY FRYE RD

1.5M NE JCT OLD SR36-I26, Unicoi, TN

Built 1993 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 8,283

FIGHTING CREEK GAP

Fair

Over: LAUREL BRANCH

0.2 MILES EAST FROM NPS R, Sevier, TN

Built 1947 Load: 35.4 t ADT: 1,415

FAS 105

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.3 MI SE JCT 105 & 211, Dyer, TN

Built 1998 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 602

Showing 10,351-10,400 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.