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 160

Fair

Over: SR 343 & BRANCH

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

Built 1992 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 19,039

NFA A246

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.5 M NE OF LAFAYETTE, Macon, TN

Built 1983 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 10

NFA A409

Fair

Over: DOG BRANCH

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

Built 1983 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 100

FAP 3

Fair

Over: HATCHIE RIVER

AT LAUDERDALE CO. LINE, Tipton, TN

Built 1974 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 14,004

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD

3.9 MILES FROM TN ROUTE 1, Wayne, TN

Built 1954 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 700

NFA A742

Fair

Over: MARROWBONE CREEK

MARROWBONE LAKE RD., Davidson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 60

FAP 62

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

2.7 M W OF SR162, Knox, TN

Built 1945 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 10,611

I-240 EXIT RAMP

Fair

Over: NONCONNAH CREEK

I-240-EB RAMP TO AIRPORT, Shelby, TN

Built 1958 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 133,838

NFA A238

Fair

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

0.5MI.W.OF MONTGOMERY CO., Stewart, TN

Built 1984 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 70

FAP 26

Fair

Over: SR 111

IN SPARTA, White, TN

Built 1975 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 5,732

FAS 107

Fair

Over: FRENCH BROAD RIVER & A88

1 M NE OF TOM JONES RD, Cocke, TN

Built 1971 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,952

NFA A263

Fair

Over: SINK CREEK

.7 MI EAST OF SR56, DeKalb, TN

Built 1993 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 90

I81

Fair

Over: WESLEY RD (A178)

16.05M.FROM HAMBLEN CO LN, Greene, TN

Built 1971 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 37,616

FAP 15

Fair

Over: TENN RIVER OVERFLOW

2.1 MI.W.OF TENNESSEE RV., Hardin, TN

Built 1987 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 12,305

NFA A872

Fair

Over: I40

W OF SR9 EXIT, Jefferson, TN

Built 1973 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 200

I275 RP TO I40E

Fair

Over: I275-SB TO I40EB / 7 RTS

IN KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 1982 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 67,587

NFA A521 (SA 4907)

Fair

Over: HYDE CREEK

1 MI. W. OF RIPLEY, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1996 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,270

I40 RT LN

Fair

Over: NFA 2366

2.2 M SE JCT I40&SR326, Roane, TN

Built 1970 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 44,926

SR-385 RAMP 34G

Fair

Over: L & N RAILROAD

SR-1 IN ARLINGTON, Shelby, TN

Built 1996 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 17,719

I26 LT LN

Fair

Over: HOLSTON RI.&CITY STREETS

IN KINGSPORT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1981 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 25,622

FAP 396

Fair

Over: KEDRON RD.

SATURN PKWY @ SPRING HILL, Maury, TN

Built 1989 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 35,603

FAP 396

Fair

Over: KEDRON RD.

SATURN PKWY @ SPRINGHILL, Maury, TN

Built 1989 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 35,603

NFA 962 (SA 2830)

Fair

Over: ROBERTSON FORK CREEK

4.5 M. S. LYNNVILLE., Giles, TN

Built 1968 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,116

FAP 125

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.1 MI.S.OF BOLIVAR, Hardeman, TN

Built 1966 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 4,351

NFA A446

Fair

Over: I75 SBL

5 MI FROM SR2, McMinn, TN

Built 1971 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 242

FAP 374

Fair

Over: NORTH PKWY. / SR 76

IN CLARKSVILLE, Montgomery, TN

Built 2001 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 12,303

FAU 5149 (SA 7909)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

RALEIGH-LAGRANGE RD-MEMPH, Shelby, TN

Built 1995 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,462

NFA A651

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

3.2 MI E OF OBION CO, Weakley, TN

Built 1995 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 80

ELKMONT ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE RIVER

0.5 MILES SOUTH FROM NPS, Sevier, TN

Built 1938 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1

U.S. 441

Fair

Over: CLINCH RIVER

NORRIS DAM, Anderson, TN

Built 1936 Load: 40.1 t ADT: 1,801

FAS 191

Fair

Over: BIRDSONG CREEK

5.3 MI SE JCT SR1&SR191, Benton, TN

Built 1965 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 1,099

I40

Fair

Over: I65 & I65 RMP

I40-I65 INTERCHANGE - C3, Davidson, TN

Built 1967 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 95,652

NFA 1296

Fair

Over: BRANCH

E. DUMPLIN VALLEY ROAD, Jefferson, TN

Built 1998 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 3,045

NFA A446

Fair

Over: I75 NBL

5 MI FROM SR2, McMinn, TN

Built 1971 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 242

NFA A323

Fair

Over: DUCK RIVER

4.1 MI FROM SR 55, Coffee, TN

Built 1977 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 240

FAP 48

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

SOUTH OF CENTERVILLE, Hickman, TN

Built 1931 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 2,623

FAS 244

Fair

Over: MORTON CREEK

5.6 M SW JCT SR50&SR244, Lincoln, TN

Built 1985 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,169

NFA B648

Fair

Over: SULPHER FORK CREEK

12 M. E. CLARKSVILLE., Montgomery, TN

Built 1990 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 130

FAP 66

Fair

Over: I40

1 MILE FROM JEFFERSON CO., Sevier, TN

Built 1975 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 50,761

FAP 66

Fair

Over: I40 LT LN

AT I40, Sevier, TN

Built 1975 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 50,761

FAU 3

Fair

Over: RAVINE

.1 M FM HERNANDO RD, Shelby, TN

Built 1934 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 16,141

I-269

Fair

Over: I-269 / KEOUGH RD

0.5 MI S. JCT SR57& I-269, Fayette, TN

Built 2005 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 36,789

FAP 70

Fair

Over: NOLICHUCKY RIVER

1.8 M S OF SR351, Greene, TN

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 6,790

NFA 2457 (SA 4528)

Fair

Over: LONG CREEK

W OF US25E AT WHITE PINE, Jefferson, TN

Built 1938 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 523

NFA G305

Fair

Over: EAST TOWNE RD. E. / I640

1.7 M NW OF I640-I40 JCT, Knox, TN

Built 1981 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 200

I40

Fair

Over: BOLLING BRANCH & PRIV. R

IN SMITH CO., Smith, TN

Built 1962 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 44,898

FAP 53

Fair

Over: MULHERRIN CREEK

.9 M E JCT SR141&I40, Smith, TN

Built 1947 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 873

FAP 49

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6.5 MI.SE.OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1965 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,576

NFA 1337 (SA 3029)

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

.8 M S OF I81-1 M N OF 93, Greene, TN

Built 1950 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 1,384

FAU 2861

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN AVE / LAMAR AVE

SOUTHERN AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1959 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 14,170

Showing 10,551-10,600 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.