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 A470

Good

Over: BAT CREEK

BTWN SR72&322-WRIGHT RD, Monroe, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

NFA A159

Good

Over: BAT CREEK

W OF US411-N OF MADISONVL, Monroe, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 130

NFA A181

Good

Over: ISLAND CREEK

N OFF US411-W OF VONROE, Monroe, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

NFA A233

Good

Over: NOTCHY CREEK

2.0 MI. SE MADISONVILLE, Monroe, TN

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A265

Good

Over: NOTCHY CREEK

3.2 M N OF MT VERNON, Monroe, TN

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A278

Good

Over: SINKHOLE CREEK

N OF TELLICO PLNS, Monroe, TN

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 60

NFA A296

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

BELLTOWN RD-W OF SR360, Monroe, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

NFA A301

Good

Over: CANE CREEK

BIVENS RD-W OFF SR360, Monroe, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 60

NFA A308

Good

Over: BALL PLAY CREEK

E OFF SR360-N OF BALLPLAY, Monroe, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A331

Good

Over: BALL PLAY CREEK

CHESTNUT VALLEY RD, Monroe, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

NFA A372

Good

Over: BRANCH

.01 M SW OF SR 68, Monroe, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 400

NFA A170

Good

Over: CHESTNEE CREEK

SE OFF US411 AT CO. LINE, Monroe, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

NFA A379

Good

Over: CONASAUGA CREEK

N OF SR315-SR39 JCT, Monroe, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

NFA A011

Good

Over: BULLET CREEK

NW OF SR315 NEAR CO. LINE, Monroe, TN

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

FAP 39

Good

Over: BULLET CREEK

2.2 MI. E. OF MCMINN CO., Monroe, TN

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

NFA A413

Good

Over: POWER MILL BRANCH

S OFF SR39-W OF SR315 JCT, Monroe, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

NFA A441

Good

Over: COKER CREEK

SE OF SR68 AT COKER CREEK, Monroe, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

NFA A454

Good

Over: COKER CREEK

E OF SR68-FURNACE RD., Monroe, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A509

Good

Over: POWDER MILL BRANCH

JUST SW OF SR39-SR315 JCT, Monroe, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A521

Good

Over: MIDDLE CREEK

2 M N OF US411@ MCMINN CL, Monroe, TN

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A798

Good

Over: BALL PLAY CREEK

E OFF SR360-SLOAN RD, Monroe, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 110

NFA A843

Good

Over: BAT CREEK

W OFF SR322, Monroe, TN

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A011

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

N OFF SR315 AT COUNTY LI., Monroe, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40

FAS 360

Good

Over: TELLICO RIVER

.57 MI.S. OF SR 33, Monroe, TN

Built 1930 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,976

NFA 1139 (SA 6221)

Good

Over: MULBERRY CREEK

NEAR CHILHOWEE DAM, Monroe, TN

Built 2020 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 780

NFA 1200 (SA 6208)

Good

Over: KINSER BRANCH

AT CO LI.-OLD ATHENS RD, Monroe, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,379

NFA 1202 (SA 6205)

Good

Over: NOTCHY CREEK

BALLPLAY RD-E OF MADISONV, Monroe, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,758

NFA 1138 (SA 6215)

Good

Over: FORK CREEK

N OF SR322-S OF CO LINE, Monroe, TN

Built 1952 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,200

FAP 2

Good

Over: TRIB. SWEETWATER CREEK

1 MI N. OF SR2 & SR322, Monroe, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,445

FAP 68

Good

Over: SOU. RR & SWEETWATER CR

JUST E. OF SR 2, Monroe, TN

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,984

FAP 68

Good

Over: NOTCHY CREEK

10 MI.NW.OF TELLICO, Monroe, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,530

FAP 68

Good

Over: BARNEY CREEK

2.30 MI.N.OF POLK CO., Monroe, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,070

FAP 68

Good

Over: HUNT BRANCH

IN TELLICO CO PLAINS, Monroe, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,813

FAP 69

Good

Over: SINKHOLE CREEK

4.5 MI NW JCT SR68 & SR39, Monroe, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,813

FAP 68

Good

Over: SINKHOLE CREEK

3.1 MI NW JCT SR68 & SR39, Monroe, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,813

FAS 165

Good

Over: QUARRY CREEK

.39 MI.FROM TELLICO PLAIN, Monroe, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,134

FAS 165

Good

Over: LYON CREEK

1 MI. FROM TELLICO PLAINS, Monroe, TN

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,134

FAS 165

Good

Over: SR 165 / NFA A465

1 M E OF BOUNDARY RD, Monroe, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 736

FAS 165

Good

Over: TELLICO RIVER

2.5 MI. E. OF TELLICO PLA, Monroe, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,134

FAS 165

Good

Over: LAUREL BRANCH

NEAR STATE LINE, Monroe, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 511

FAS 233

Good

Over: BLOOMING GROVE CREEK

5.0 M NE STEWART CO LI, Montgomery, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,250

NFA A009

Good

Over: SULPHUR BRANCH

2 M S OF CLARKSVILLE, Montgomery, TN

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A012

Good

Over: BASCOMB ELDRIDGE CREEK

LEWIS ATKINS RD, Montgomery, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20

NFA A143 348165M

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.5 M. NE. ST. BETHLEHEM., Montgomery, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,270

NFA A201

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

4.5 M. NE. ST. BETHLEHEM., Montgomery, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 160

NFA A238

Good

Over: MARSHALL CREEK

6 M. W. PALMYRA, Montgomery, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 70

NFA A278

Good

Over: PASSENGER CREEK

13 M. NE. CUNNINGHAM., Montgomery, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 220

NFA A331

Good

Over: BIG MCADOO CREEK

8 M. NE. CUNNINGHAM., Montgomery, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 190

NFA A350

Good

Over: ROCKY FORD CREEK

5.5 M. N. CUNNINGHAM., Montgomery, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 180

NFA A360

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

3.5 M. N. SOUTHSIDE., Montgomery, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 470

Showing 16,501-16,550 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.