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 2294 (SA 7217)

Fair

Over: RECTOR CREEK

5 MI EAST OF US 27, Rhea, TN

Built 1938 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 823

FAS 443

Fair

Over: BRUSH CREEK

3MI SOUTH OF SR 30, Rhea, TN

Built 1954 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 274

NFA A732

Fair

Over: BRANCH

JUST S OFF SR72-E OF 322, Roane, TN

Built 1983 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 190

FAP 61

Fair

Over: CARDIFF CREEK

2.86 MI.W.OF HARRIMAN, Roane, TN

Built 1947 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 13,820

NFA A400

Fair

Over: CALEBS CREEK

3.2 MI NW JCT SR49&SR257, Robertson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 150

NFA A193

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.3 MI NW JCT SR10&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1983 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 3,055

NFA 1424 (SA 7518)

Fair

Over: BIG SPRINGS CREEK

5.5 MI NW JCT I24&COFFEE, Rutherford, TN

Built 1958 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 1,077

FAP 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.3 M NW JCT SR1&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1953 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 27,437

NFA A660

Fair

Over: NEW RIVER

ON SWINGING BRIDGE RD, Scott, TN

Built 2001 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 50

FAS 456

Fair

Over: WEST CREEK

3 MI NW JCT SR63, Scott, TN

Built 1956 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 3,201

FAP 29

Fair

Over: BLACK WOLF CREEK

1.9 MI SW JCT SR52, Scott, TN

Built 1925 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 1,993

NFA A469

Fair

Over: MIDDLE CREEK

JUST SE OF SEVIERVILLE, Sevier, TN

Built 1976 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 1,100

FAP 35

Fair

Over: REGAN BRANCH

SO. OF SR 71, Sevier, TN

Built 1964 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 16,884

NFA J186

Fair

Over: LICK CREEK

BROWN AVE, Shelby, TN

Built 1957 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 200

NFA B576

Fair

Over: BRANCH

LOEB ST IN MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1959 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 730

NFA B577

Fair

Over: BRANCH

GRAHAM ST IN MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1940 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 540

NFA C765

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WAVERLY FARMS RD, Shelby, TN

Built 1950 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 2,500

FAU 2813

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

WINCHESTER RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1965 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 34,598

FAU 2850

Fair

Over: MADISON AVE / SR-1

MADISON AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 13,468

FAU 2869

Fair

Over: RAINES RD / SR-4

RAINES RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1975 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 15,710

NFA 1089 (SA 8020)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.6 MI SW JCT SR80&MACON, Smith, TN

Built 1955 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 167

I81

Fair

Over: NFA 2603

2 M NE JCT I81&SR37, Sullivan, TN

Built 1973 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 27,225

FAS 44

Fair

Over: BRANCH

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

Built 1950 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 2,401

FAP 1

Fair

Over: LITTLE CREEK

.7 M NW JCT SR34&SR358, Sullivan, TN

Built 1963 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 18,897

FAS 75

Fair

Over: BOWMAN BRANCH

5 MI.NE.OF WASHINGTON CO., Sullivan, TN

Built 1938 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 4,635

NFA 2059 (SA 8336)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2 MI SW JCT SR6&SR52, Sumner, TN

Built 1950 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 705

NFA A423

Fair

Over: LIGGETT BRANCH

4.5 MI NE JCT SR174&SR258, Sumner, TN

Built 1987 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 230

NFA A451

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.3 MI SE JCT SR25&SR76, Sumner, TN

Built 1960 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 160

NFA A969

Fair

Over: MADISON CREEK

E. OF GOODLETTSVILLE, Sumner, TN

Built 1980 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 840

FAU 861 (SA 8301)

Fair

Over: MADISON CREEK

2.9 MI NW JCT SR6&SR258, Sumner, TN

Built 1965 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 9,256

NFA 1073

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.6 MI SW JCT SR6&SR376, Sumner, TN

Built 1915 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 651

FAP 25

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.6 M SE JCT SR25&SR41, Sumner, TN

Built 1990 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 3,266

FAS 41

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.5 M N JCT SR41&SR25, Sumner, TN

Built 1947 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 5,780

NFA A250

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

1 MI N OF SHELBY CO., Tipton, TN

Built 1984 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 540

FAP 3

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.61 MI.S.OF BRIGHTON, Tipton, TN

Built 1933 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 16,419

FAP 10

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.5 MI SW OF HARTSVILLE, Trousdale, TN

Built 1952 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 7,110

NFA A130

Fair

Over: MARTIN CREEK

IN ERWIN, Unicoi, TN

Built 1969 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 600

NFA 1351 (SA 8604)

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

BTWN ERWIN & UNICOI, Unicoi, TN

Built 1976 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 1,607

FAS 107

Fair

Over: ROCKY CREEK

.3 M NE JCT SR107&SR395, Unicoi, TN

Built 1928 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 4,155

FAS 107

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

2.5 M NE JCT SR107&SR395, Unicoi, TN

Built 1928 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 4,155

NFA A100

Fair

Over: FALL CREEK

N OF SR170-W OF SR33 JCT, Union, TN

Built 1984 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 40

NFA A100

Fair

Over: FALL CREEK

.1 MI N OF SR170, Union, TN

Built 1984 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 40

NFA A136 (SA 8714)

Fair

Over: LITTLE CREEK

S OF SR131-2 M E OF LUTTR, Union, TN

Built 1983 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 180

NFA 0A612

Fair

Over: DOG BRANCH

0.5 MI N OF SR288, Warren, TN

Built 1925 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 1,228

NFA 0A612

Fair

Over: OWEN BRANCH

2 MI SE OF CENTERTOWN, Warren, TN

Built 1924 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 1,228

I26 RT LN

Fair

Over: SOU RWY&NFA A719 & A676

.2 M SE JCT I26 & SR91, Washington, TN

Built 1975 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 53,288

NFA 1355 (SA 9003)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

S OF SR67-JUST W OF CITY, Washington, TN

Built 1960 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 635

NFA 1355 (SA 9003)

Fair

Over: SINKING CREEK

S OF SR67-S OF JOHNSON C., Washington, TN

Built 1960 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 635

FAS 67

Fair

Over: LITTLE CHEROKEE CREEK

4.2 M NE JCT SR67&SR81, Washington, TN

Built 1956 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 5,618

NFA 1765 (SA 9107)

Fair

Over: BLACKWELL BRANCH

5.3 MI NE JCT SR13&SR227, Wayne, TN

Built 1950 Load: 22.4 t ADT: 346

Showing 1,451-1,500 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.