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 A213

Good

Over: PLUNKETT CREEK

4.7 MI SW JCT SR24&SR25, Smith, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 180

FAP 80

Good

Over: BOSTON BRANCH

NORTH OF CARTHAGE-TN., Smith, TN

Built 1920 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 845

NFA B561

Good

Over: MAD BRANCH

MIDLAND DR-W OFF SR36, Sullivan, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 980

I81

Good

Over: NFA 2603

2 M NE JCT I81&SR37, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 27,225

FAS 44

Good

Over: HATCHER CREEK

11 MI.EAST OF SR-37, Sullivan, TN

Built 1990 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,401

FAS 44

Good

Over: MORRELL CREEK

12 MI.EAST OF SR-37, Sullivan, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,401

NFA A037

Good

Over: HOGAN BRANCH

1.9 MI NW JCT SR174&SR258, Sumner, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 950

FAU 4875

Good

Over: MADISON CREEK

3.6 MI NW JCT SR 6&SR 258, Sumner, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,785

NFA A481

Good

Over: BRANCH

3 MI NE JCT SR25 & SR76, Sumner, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 100

NFA B111

Good

Over: ROUGES FORK CREEK

.4 MI NE JCT SR6 & SR376, Sumner, TN

Built 1985 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 320

NFA B120

Good

Over: BLEDSOE CREEK

2.8 MI NE JCT SR6 &SR 376, Sumner, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 210

NFA B150

Good

Over: BRANCH

1 MI E JCT SR 6 & SR 52, Sumner, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 420

FAP 6

Good

Over: BLEDSOE CREEK

3.2 M SW JCT SR6&SR52, Sumner, TN

Built 1966 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 13,322

FAU 5287

Good

Over: DONOHO BRANCH

4.3 M E JCT SR41&SR52, Sumner, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,624

FAP 109

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.6 M N JCT SR109&SR76, Sumner, TN

Built 1941 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 13,240

NFA 2090 (SA 8506)

Good

Over: HAWKINS BRANCH

2 MI S OF MACON CO., Trousdale, TN

Built 1970 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 920

NFA 2090 (SA 8506)

Good

Over: LITTLE GOOSE CREEK

1 MI S OF MACON CO., Trousdale, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 920

NFA A106

Good

Over: ROCKY CREEK

1.5 MI E OF SUMNER CO., Trousdale, TN

Built 1985 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 40

NFA 2557 (SA 8601)

Good

Over: RICE CREEK

JUST SW OF FLAG POND, Unicoi, TN

Built 1960 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 215

NFA 1112 (SA 8908)

Good

Over: BULLPEN CREEK

3MI SOUTH OF US70S, Warren, TN

Built 1996 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 151

NFA A684

Good

Over: BYBEE BRANCH

2MI EAST OF SR56, Warren, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 580

FAU 4810

Good

Over: SINKING CREEK

.98 M S OF SR67, Washington, TN

Built 1998 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 365

I26 LT LN

Good

Over: GRAY STATION RD (2644)

.8 M NW JCT I26 & SR75, Washington, TN

Built 1969 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 47,344

I26 LT LN

Good

Over: SR 354 & BOONES CREEK

1.2 M SW JCT I26 & SR354, Washington, TN

Built 1969 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 59,948

NFA 1352

Good

Over: BIG LIMESTONE CREEK

IN LIMESTONE-S OF US11E, Washington, TN

Built 1991 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,176

NFA A185

Good

Over: WEATHERFORD CREEK

1.3 MI EAST OF HARDIN CO, Wayne, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 30

FAS 203

Good

Over: BRANCH

5 MI E OF HARDIN CO., Wayne, TN

Built 1970 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 436

NFA A710

Good

Over: CLIFF CREEK

1MI FROM CENTER POINT TN., White, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

NFA A218

Good

Over: SUGAR CAMP CREEK

4.6 MI SW JCT SR96&SR100, Williamson, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

NFA A219

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.1 MI W JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 1983 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

NFA A245

Good

Over: FIVE MILE CREEK

0.9 MI NE JCT SR106&SR248, Williamson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 460

I840

Good

Over: I840 / I65

1.0 MI E JCT SR106&I840, Williamson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 41,539

FAS 46

Good

Over: PARKER BRANCH

2.8 M SW JCT SR46&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,886

FAS 247

Good

Over: GRASSY BRANCH

1 M E MAURY CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 1979 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 8,549

FAP 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

3.1 M NW JCT SR96&SR11, Williamson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 14,885

FAS 253 350343W

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.6 M E JCT SR6&SR253, Williamson, TN

Built 1999 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 31,907

I840

Good

Over: I840 /CSX RR&HARPETH

2.1 MI W JCT.SR11&I840, Williamson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 39,020

NFA 1062

Good

Over: WILBORN BRANCH

5.9 MI NE JCT SR10&SR26, Wilson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 412

NFA 2032 (SA 9510)

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.2 MI EAST OF SR266, Wilson, TN

Built 1975 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 489

NFA 2038 (SA 9515)

Good

Over: BIG CANEY CREEK

1 MI SOUTH OF I40, Wilson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 561

NFA A211

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.1 MI N OF RUTHERFORD CO, Wilson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 90

NFA A333

Good

Over: PURTLE CREEK

0.3 MI WEST OF DEKALB CO, Wilson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 180

NFA A436

Good

Over: BRANCH

3.4 MI SW JCT I40&SR10, Wilson, TN

Built 1951 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 290

NFA 1069 (SA 9526)

Good

Over: JENNINGS FORK CREEK

0.1 MI WEST OF SMITH CO., Wilson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 481

FAS 171

Good

Over: MT. JULIET RD./ I40

1.2 M N JCT SR171&SR265, Wilson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 21,705

NFA 1368

Good

Over: BECKWITH RD./I40

2.6 MI W JCT I40&SR109, Wilson, TN

Built 2006 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,786

I40

Good

Over: BARTONS CREEK

IN WILSON CO., Wilson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 80,356

FAS 266

Good

Over: DEDMAN BRANCH

2.3 M NW JCT SR265&SR266, Wilson, TN

Built 1955 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,238

FAP 401 (SR 24)

Good

Over: TARVER BRANCH

7.0 M E JCT SR24&SR109, Wilson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 8,355

NFA A317

Good

Over: DOE RIVER

NEAR ELIZABETHTON, Carter, TN

Built 1990 Load: 29.2 t ADT: 200

Showing 12,551-12,600 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.