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 1082 (SA 5603)

Good

Over: BRANCH

6.75 M SW OF LAFAYETTE, Macon, TN

Built 1980 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 947

NFA 1423 (SA 5813)

Good

Over: SMALL BRANCH

5.5 MI NW JCT SR27&SR283, Marion, TN

Built 1938 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 700

NFA A240

Good

Over: HOGE BRANCH

3.7 MI SE JCT SR2&SR150, Marion, TN

Built 1993 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 170

FAS 134

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

IN WHITESIDE, Marion, TN

Built 1940 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 919

I40

Good

Over: BRYAN ROAD

1.3 MI E JCT SR66, Sevier, TN

Built 1975 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 77,977

NFA B575

Good

Over: BRANCH

SPOTTSWOOD AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1954 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,690

NFA B536

Good

Over: BLACK BAYOU

HEALEY RD IN MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 350

FAU 3

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.5 M N OF SR175, Shelby, TN

Built 1949 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 53,694

NFA B056

Good

Over: BRUSHY FORK CREEK

2.6 MI SW JCT SR6&SR376, Sumner, TN

Built 1984 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 70

NFA B090

Good

Over: DRY FORK BRANCH

4.2 MI SW JCT SR376&TROUS, Sumner, TN

Built 1978 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 130

NFA B457

Good

Over: WILLIS BRANCH

E OF GOODLETTSVILLE, Sumner, TN

Built 1975 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 70

FAP 397

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

2.4 M NW JCT I65&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 23,973

NFSR 210

Good

Over: TELLICO RIVER

NATIONAL FOREST, Monroe, TN

Built 1984 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 523

NFA A688 (SA 1003)

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

NEAR ROAN MTN.-S OF SR37, Carter, TN

Built 1998 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 250

NFA 1236 (SA 3026)

Good

Over: ROARING SPRINGS CREEK

3.4 M SE OF I81&SR172 EXC, Greene, TN

Built 1970 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 416

FAP 61

Good

Over: CANEY CREEK

IN HARRIMAN, Roane, TN

Built 1947 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 14,032

I81

Good

Over: FAU 4429

.6 M SW JCT I81&I181, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 33,875

I81

Good

Over: FAU 4429

.6 M SW JCT I81&I181, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 33,875

I81

Good

Over: 04519

.6 M SW JCT I81&SR1, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 27,225

I81

Good

Over: NFA A518

.6 M SW JCT I81&SR1, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 26.1 t ADT: 27,225

NFA A153

Good

Over: CRAUCH BRANCH

2 M. NE. BELL BUCKLE., Bedford, TN

Built 1960 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 70

NFA 2004 (SA 0219)

Good

Over: FLAT CREEK

4.6 M. W. RAUS., Bedford, TN

Built 1958 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 693

FAP 16

Good

Over: THOMPSON CREEK

4.9 MI.SE.OF SHELBYVILLE, Bedford, TN

Built 2020 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 10,848

NFA 2233 (SA 0406)

Good

Over: BOWMAN CREEK

2 MIEAST OF US 127, Bledsoe, TN

Built 1963 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 371

FAP 28

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.35 MI.SW.OF COLLEGE, Bledsoe, TN

Built 1953 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 4,141

FAP 28

Good

Over: PEMBERTON CREEK

1.1 MI.SW.LEES STATION, Bledsoe, TN

Built 1953 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 5,238

FAP 28

Good

Over: BRACKEN BRANCH

IN LEES STATION, Bledsoe, TN

Built 1953 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 5,238

FAP 28

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.6 MI.SW.OF PIKEVILLE, Bledsoe, TN

Built 1953 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 5,238

NFA A993

Good

Over: PISTOL CREEK

IN CITY OF MARYVILLE, Blount, TN

Built 1960 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 880

NFA A424

Good

Over: SHORT CREEK

1.5 M. W. TOWNSEND., Blount, TN

Built 1959 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 1,490

FAU 5378

Good

Over: PISTOL CREEK

1 M.E. SR129 IN ALCOA., Blount, TN

Built 2005 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 643

NFA B756

Good

Over: PISTOL CREEK TRIBUTARY

2.5 M. S. MARYVILLE., Blount, TN

Built 1999 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 100

NFA A099

Good

Over: HARRIS CREEK

2MI NORTHWEST OF I75, Bradley, TN

Built 1987 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 20

NFA A175

Good

Over: LICK CREEK

.01 M N OF NFA 1187, Bradley, TN

Built 1986 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 280

NFA A059

Good

Over: SYCAMORE CREEK

.3MI WEST OF SR53, Cannon, TN

Built 1984 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 90

NFA A061

Good

Over: CAVENDER BRANCH

2MI NORTH OF US70S, Cannon, TN

Built 1984 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 180

FAP 96

Good

Over: MARSHALL CREEK

EAST OF AUBURNTOWN, Cannon, TN

Built 1979 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 3,673

NFA 812 (SA 0902)

Good

Over: GRASSY HOLLOW CREEK

2.5 MI NW JCT SR1&SR104, Carroll, TN

Built 1959 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 408

FAS 112

Good

Over: BRANCH OF SPRING CREEK

IN PLEASANTVIEW, Cheatham, TN

Built 1936 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 5,459

NFA A593

Good

Over: LEFT FORK BRIMSTONE CREE

5MI SOUTH OF SR52, Clay, TN

Built 1984 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 305

FAS 189

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

0.3 M SE JCT SR20&SR189, Crockett, TN

Built 1960 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 648

NFA A814

Good

Over: MEADOW CREEK

SOUTH OF SR70, Cumberland, TN

Built 1984 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 90

NFA A934

Good

Over: LITTLEFIELD BRANCH

NORTH OF SR1, Cumberland, TN

Built 1965 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 220

FAU 4964

Good

Over: EAST FORK HAMILTON CREEK

ANDERSON RD E. CREEKVIEW, Davidson, TN

Built 1987 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 7,229

NFA A659

Good

Over: SPRING BRANCH

.1 M NE OF MYATT DRIVE, Davidson, TN

Built 1972 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 5,820

NFA A670

Good

Over: BRANCH

PAULA DR NE OF EDENWOLD, Davidson, TN

Built 1986 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 2,150

NFA B252

Good

Over: EAST FORK HAMILTON CREEK

1 M NE OF SR 1, Davidson, TN

Built 1978 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 590

NFA C420

Good

Over: OTTER CREEK

GEN. FORREST CT@OTTER CR., Davidson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 100

NFA C557

Good

Over: BROWN CREEK

GLENDALE LN AT DALE AVE., Davidson, TN

Built 1955 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 3,860

NFA F004

Good

Over: BROWNS CREEK

PARK AVE @ WOODHAVEN., Davidson, TN

Built 1984 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 220

Showing 11,951-12,000 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.