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 3255

Good

Over: I440

I440 LOOP IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,645

NFA F107

Good

Over: I440

I440 LOOP IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,030

I440

Good

Over: CSX RR

I440 LOOP IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 96,254

I440

Good

Over: BRANCH

I440 @ LEALAND LANE, Davidson, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 105,509

FAU 4915 350176A

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.74 MI E SR 11, Davidson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,105

FAU 3268

Good

Over: LITTLE CREEK

IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,631

FAP 254

Good

Over: OTTER CREEK

.2 M W JCT SR106&SR254, Davidson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,411

FAP 254

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

.8 M W JCT SR254&I24, Davidson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40,992

FAP 254

Good

Over: COLLINS CREEK

.1 M W JCT SR254&I24, Davidson, TN

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40,992

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRILEY PKW/TWO RIVERS PK

SR155 @ TWO RIVERS PKWY, Davidson, TN

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 73,908

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRILEY PKWY/BRUSH HILL R

2.1 M S JCT SR6&SR45, Davidson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 71,975

FAU 255

Good

Over: SEVEN MILE CREEK

.1 M E JCT SR11&SR255, Davidson, TN

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 36,556

FAU 1 349246R

Good

Over: BRDWY /11TH AVE S &CSX R

BRDWY/11TH AVE CSX RR, Davidson, TN

Built 2023 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,847

FAP 6

Good

Over: SR 6 RL / CSX RR

.9 M NE SR45&SR6, Davidson, TN

Built 2014 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,985

FAU 3250

Good

Over: WOODMONT BLVD/FRANKLIN R

IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,941

FAU 3252

Good

Over: GALLATIN RD / BRILEY PKW

IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,486

FAU 11 350181W

Good

Over: SR11/ELLINGTON PKWY&CSXR

SR11/ELLINGTON PKWY &SS R, Davidson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,155

FAU 11

Good

Over: MANSKER CREEK

1.2 M N JCT SR11&SR174, Davidson, TN

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,080

FAU 11

Good

Over: STR 11@ ELLINGTON PKY I/

.5 M N SR6@ELLINGTON IC, Davidson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,155

FAU 24

Good

Over: OVERALL CREEK

IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1930 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,043

FAU 24

Good

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

2 M NW JCT I440&SR1, Davidson, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,557

FAU 65

Good

Over: EWING CREEK

2.5 M NE SR12&SR112, Davidson, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,557

FAU 65

Good

Over: EARTHMAN FORK CREEK

.1 M S JCT SR45&SR65, Davidson, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,461

FAP 408 (SR155)

Good

Over: SR 155 / WHITES CREEK PK

SR 155 /SR65 IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 46,651

FAU 112

Good

Over: WHITES CREEK

.5 M NW JCT SR12&SR112, Davidson, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,255

FAP 408 349219U

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

.5 M E JCT SR155&I24, Davidson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 38,057

FAP 408 349219U

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

.5 M E JCT SR155&I24, Davidson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 38,057

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: ICG RAILROAD

3 M W OF SR 12, Davidson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,776

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRILEY PKWY./KNIGHT RD.

3 M. W. I24 @ KNIGHT RD., Davidson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 46,651

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: SR155 / CENTNNIAL BLVD.

2 M NE I40, Davidson, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 42,389

NFA A128

Good

Over: CATO RD / BRILEY PKWY

CATO RD IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 280

FAP 408 (SR155)

Good

Over: SR 155/BUENA VISTA PK&CR

SR 155/BUENA VISTA PK&CR, Davidson, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40,884

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRANCH

@ KNIGHT RD & BRILEY PKWY, Davidson, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 46,651

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRILEY PKWY/OAKVIEW DR

BRILEY PKWY (NASHVILLE), Davidson, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 53,917

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRILEY PKWY/MOOREWOOD

BRILEY PKWY (NASHVILLE), Davidson, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 53,917

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: BRANCH

.8 MI NW JCT I40, Davidson, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 73,908

FAP 408 (SR 155)

Good

Over: SR 155 / SR155 RAMP D

SR155/SR1, Davidson, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 32,052

FAP 408 (SR155)

Good

Over: SR 155-RMP C / SR155

SR 155@EATONS CR RD&CR, Davidson, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 47,778

FAP 386

Good

Over: MANSKER CREEK

2.29 M E OF TWO MILE PKWY, Davidson, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80,775

FAS 202

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

1.3 M NW JCT SR69&SR100, Decatur, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 961

NFA 1758 (SA 2002)

Good

Over: WHITES CREEK

3.5 MI EAST OF SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 193

NFA A017

Good

Over: ARMS CREEK

3.5 MI NW JCT SR20&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150

NFA A038

Good

Over: STORMS CREEK

5.1 MI N JCT SR20&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 130

NFA A054

Good

Over: HORNY HEAD CREEK

2.2 MI E OF HENDERSON CO., Decatur, TN

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 320

NFA A070

Good

Over: LICK CREEK

3.3 MI SW JCT I40&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

NFA A071

Good

Over: LICK CREEK

3.7 MI S JCT I40&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A073

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.8 MI SW JCT I40&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

NFA A073

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.9 MI SW JCT I40&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

NFA A091

Good

Over: BRANCH

5.2 MI SE JCT I40&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40

NFA A098

Good

Over: MORGAN CREEK

2.9 MI SE JCT I40&SR69, Decatur, TN

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

Showing 14,001-14,050 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.