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

FAU 1156

Good

Over: LITTLE CHATATA CREEK

1MI EAST OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,257

FAP 311

Good

Over: I75

3.6 MI.W.OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,412

I75

Good

Over: RUNNER BRANCH

IN CLEVELAND CITY LIMITS, Bradley, TN

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 52,149

I75

Good

Over: PAUL HUFF PKWY.FAU 3660

IN THE CITY OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 52,196

I75

Good

Over: OLD LOWER RIVER RD 1185

.75 MI.S.OF MCMINN CO., Bradley, TN

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 48,545

FAU 3660

Good

Over: MOUSE CREEK

IN CLEVELAND CITY LIMITS, Bradley, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,170

FAS 312

Good

Over: HARRIS CREEK

5 MILES EAST OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,776

FAS 312

Good

Over: BEECH SPRINGS BRANCH

1 MI FROM SR2, Bradley, TN

Built 1945 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,985

FAS 312

Good

Over: BRANCH

W OF WHITE OAK RD NW, Bradley, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,462

NFA 2265 (SA 0612)

Good

Over: CHATATA CREEK

2MI EAST OF US11, Bradley, TN

Built 1935 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 329

FAS 306

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

WEST OF CHARLESTON, Bradley, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,007

NFA 1181 (SA 0605)

Good

Over: BLUE SPRINGS BRANCH

2MI SOUTH OF SR40, Bradley, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 446

NFA 1181 (SA 0605)

Good

Over: BLUE SPRINGS BRANCH

2.5 MI SOUTH OF SR40, Bradley, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 446

NFA 2261 (SA 0606)

Good

Over: BRYMER CREEK

.3MI SOUTH OF I75, Bradley, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,070

NFA 1154 (SA 0616)

Good

Over: CLIMER BRANCH

3MI NORTH OF US64, Bradley, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,128

NFA 1154 (SA 0616)

Good

Over: CHESTUEE CREEK

1.2 MI FROM POLK CO LI, Bradley, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,128

NFA 1154 (SA 0616)

Good

Over: FIVE MILE CREEK

2MI NORTH OF SR40, Bradley, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,851

NFA 1187 (SA 0608)

Good

Over: BIGSBY CREEK

1.3 MI WEST OF I75, Bradley, TN

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,988

FAP 2

Good

Over: CANDIES CREEK

1.2 MI.SW.OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,009

FAU 40

Good

Over: SOUTH MOUSE CREEK

0.04 MI. E OF SR-2 JCT., Bradley, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,900

FAP 2 731613W

Good

Over: HIWASSEE RIVER & SOU RR

IN CHARLESTON CITY LIMITS, Bradley, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,653

FAP 402 (SR 40)

Good

Over: LONDON BRANCH

4 MI FROM POLK CO LINE, Bradley, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,704

FAP 402 (SR 40)

Good

Over: CHESTUEE CREEK

8.3 MI.E.OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,880

FAP 311 719639W

Good

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

IN CLEVELAND CITY LIMITS, Bradley, TN

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 27,589

FAS 60

Good

Over: CANDIES CREEK

IN HOPEWELL, Bradley, TN

Built 2023 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,974

FAS 60

Good

Over: BRANCH

.8 MI.E.OF HAMILTON CO., Bradley, TN

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,549

FAP 60

Good

Over: BENTON PIKE (FAU 3644)

1.4 MILE N.OF CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 32,246

FAP 60

Good

Over: POWER LINE RD. (NFA A706

IN CLEVELAND CITY LIMITS, Bradley, TN

Built 1976 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 32,246

FAS 74

Good

Over: OVERFLOW CONASAUGA RIVER

ON GEORGIA STATE LINE, Bradley, TN

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,896

SR311 EB RAMP

Good

Over: COLONIAL PIPELINE

1/2 MI. EAST OFI-75, Bradley, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,412

FAS 317

Good

Over: MAROON BRANCH

1.8 MI W OF SR60 JCT, Bradley, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,053

NFA 2425 (SA 0703)

Good

Over: TITUS CREEK

W OF I75-S OFF SR63, Campbell, TN

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 438

FAU 3766

Good

Over: BIG CREEK

IN LAFOLLETTE, Campbell, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 599

NFA A0004

Good

Over: HATFIELD CREEK

4.2 MI NW OF NEWCOMB, Campbell, TN

Built 2020 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20

NFA A008

Good

Over: ROUND ROCK CREEK

5 M SW OF CARYVILLE, Campbell, TN

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 170

NFA A031

Good

Over: COVE CREEK (CLSP)

IN CARYVILLE-N OF I75, Campbell, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 510

NFA A062

Good

Over: COVE CREEK

1.8 M W OF I75-SR63 EXIT, Campbell, TN

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A066

Good

Over: TITUS CREEK

1 M NW OF I75-SR63 EXIT, Campbell, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A080

Good

Over: STINKING CREEK

BTWN I75&SR9-S OF JELLICO, Campbell, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A082

Good

Over: HICKORY CREEK

W OF SR9-4 M NW OF DUFF, Campbell, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 70

NFA A102

Good

Over: ELK FORK CREEK

E OF SR297-S OF NEWCOMB, Campbell, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 70

NFA A121

Good

Over: CROOKED CREEK

SW OF JELLICO, Campbell, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 60

NFA A137

Good

Over: CAPUCHIN CREEK

IN NW CORNER OF CO, Campbell, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20

NFA A169

Good

Over: HOG CAMP CREEK

2.7 M N OF DUFF, Campbell, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 230

NFA A170

Good

Over: DAVIS CREEK

E OF US25W-N OF DUFF, Campbell, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

NFA A204

Good

Over: LAUREL FORK

2.5 M NE OF SR90-SR9 JCT, Campbell, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

NFA A244

Good

Over: BRANCH

7.5 M SE OF I75, Campbell, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 430

NFA A244

Good

Over: BRANCH

7.5 M SE OF I75, Campbell, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 430

LOG TRUCKING

Good

Over: BIG BRANCH

1.5 MI NW OF I75 EX 144, Campbell, TN

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20

NFA A273

Good

Over: DOSSETT CREEK

S OF SR63-E OF LAFOLLETTE, Campbell, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 280

Showing 13,301-13,350 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.