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 A170

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

1.0 MI NW JCT SR57&SR76, Fayette, TN

Built 1998 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 564

NFA 1883 (SA 2810)

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

10 M NW OF PULASKI, Giles, TN

Built 1958 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 683

NFA A140

Good

Over: PIGEON ROOST CREEK

5 M NE OF PULASKI, Giles, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 350

NFA 983 (SA 2825)

Good

Over: BRANCH

8 M N OF ELKTON, Giles, TN

Built 1940 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 403

FAP 11

Good

Over: PLEASANT RUN CREEK

IN PULASKI, Giles, TN

Built 1938 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,828

NFA A163

Good

Over: HOOVER CREEK

3.2 M SE OF I81-SR70 EXIT, Greene, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 280

NFA 2207 (SA 3330)

Good

Over: ROGERS BRANCH

1 MI NW OF I75, Hamilton, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,613

FAS 321

Good

Over: JOHNSON BRANCH

0.32 MI.N.OF GEORGIA LINE, Hamilton, TN

Built 1930 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 7,481

FAP 69

Good

Over: ROBINSON BRANCH

5.2 MI.SE.OF SAVANNAH, Hardin, TN

Built 1935 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,930

FAS 54

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

NEAR OWL CITY, Haywood, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,210

NFA A211

Good

Over: BLOOD RIVER

0.5 MI. S. OF KENTUCKY, Henry, TN

Built 1998 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 20

NFA A081

Good

Over: YOUNGER CREEK

7 M. E WRIGLEY, Hickman, TN

Built 1979 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 60

NFA A154

Good

Over: HASSELL CREEK

3 M W PRIMM SPRINGS, Hickman, TN

Built 1975 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 110

NFA A327

Good

Over: MILAN BRANCH

5 M SW OF CENTERVILLE, Hickman, TN

Built 1975 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

NFA A318

Good

Over: COW HOLLOW CREEK

.5 M S OF COBLE, Hickman, TN

Built 1975 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 20

NFA A556

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

2.5 M S OF CENTERVILLE, Hickman, TN

Built 1974 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 10

NFA A588

Good

Over: SULPHUR CREEK

B. CHESSOR RD, Hickman, TN

Built 1986 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 40

NFA A775

Good

Over: SUGAR CREEK

WHITEHOUSE RD(HICKMAN CO), Hickman, TN

Built 1995 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 10

FAS 48

Good

Over: PINEY RIVER

2.5 MI.N.OF NUNNELLY, Hickman, TN

Built 1989 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,801

NFA A014

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

0.5 M. E. STEWART., Houston, TN

Built 1962 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 150

NFA A031

Good

Over: BRANCH

2 M. N. ERIN., Houston, TN

Built 1972 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 70

I40

Good

Over: NFA A118 COOK MILL RD

AT SEVIER CO LINE, Jefferson, TN

Built 1973 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 77,977

I40

Good

Over: NFA A118 COOK MILL RD

AT SEVIER CO LINE, Jefferson, TN

Built 1973 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 77,977

NFA A276

Good

Over: LAUREL CREEK

W OF SR91-S OF LAUREL BLO, Johnson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

NFA A009

Good

Over: ROANE CREEK

JUST S. OF MTN. CITY, Johnson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 120

FAU 158

Good

Over: SR158 / RMP TO HILL AVE.

DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 1999 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 8,421

NFA 5666

Good

Over: HOF DR RMP 2B / FIRST CR

IN KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 2006 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 12,198

NFA C148

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

W OFF SR162-S OF SR62 JCT, Knox, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,861

I75 RL

Good

Over: I75 /BULL RUN VALLEY RD.

1.6 MI S. OF ANDERSON CO., Knox, TN

Built 1971 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 57,022

FAU 131

Good

Over: BRANCH

1 MI NE OF I75, Knox, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 28,511

FAP 158

Good

Over: J WHITE PK/OLD MAGNOLIA

CITY OF KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 2006 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 26,782

FAS 19

Good

Over: JONES SLOUGH

0.06 MI. W OF ROSSIGER RD, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1988 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 156

FAS 19

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

0.53 MI W OF SUNK LAKE RD, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1988 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 156

FAS 19

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

1.33 MI E OF SUNK LAKE RD, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1988 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 156

FAS 371

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

6 MI W OF HENNING, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1980 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,163

NFA 1838 (SA 5026)

Good

Over: CAMP BRANCH

4.5 M. W. SUMMERTOWN., Lawrence, TN

Built 1979 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 876

NFA A332

Good

Over: SCOTT CREEK

1.5 M. S. FIVE POINTS-, Lawrence, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 130

NFA 1967 (SA 5213)

Good

Over: HESTER CREEK

2.2 M. W. ELORA., Lincoln, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 365

NFA A101

Good

Over: BRANCH

8 M. N. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 80

NFA A174

Good

Over: EAST FORK MULBERRY CREEK

0.8 M. NE. MULBERRY, Lincoln, TN

Built 1993 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 80

NFA A244

Good

Over: HESTER CREEK

4 M. S. FLINTVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 60

NFA A318

Good

Over: WALKER BRANCH

6 M. S. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1955 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,780

NFA A318

Good

Over: HARPER BRANCH

6 M. S. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1940 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,750

NFA A383

Good

Over: WASHBURN BRANCH

7 M. S. FAYETTEVILLE, Lincoln, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 80

NFA A407

Good

Over: BRANCH

4 M. SW. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 100

NFA A416

Good

Over: BRANCH

3 MI NE TAFT., Lincoln, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 60

FAS 274

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.1 M NW JCT SR110&SR274, Lincoln, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 556

NFA 1972 (SA 5202)

Good

Over: MOLINO CREEK

6.5 M. NE. TAFT., Lincoln, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 260

NFA 1018

Good

Over: SMITH BRANCH

6.4 M. SW. TAFT ON ST. LN, Lincoln, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,291

FAP 15

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.3 M NE OF GILES CO LINE, Lincoln, TN

Built 1997 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,448

Showing 12,451-12,500 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.