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 A121

Good

Over: BRANCH

1 MI EAST OF DAYTON, Rhea, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 600

NFA A197

Good

Over: CAMP CREEK

.85 MI FROM US 27, Rhea, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 290

NFA A207

Good

Over: MUDDY CREEK

4 MI NE OF SPRING CITY, Rhea, TN

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A302

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

.01 MI EAST OF US 27, Rhea, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 220

NFA A302

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

.3MI EAST OF US 27, Rhea, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 410

NFA A337

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

.01 MI FROM US 27, Rhea, TN

Built 1955 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 860

0A023

Good

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

0.1 MILES NW OF US-27, Rhea, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 439

0A023

Good

Over: NORFOLK S. RAILROAD

0.27 MILES NW OF US-27, Rhea, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 439

FAS 302

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

2.7 MI.NE.OLD WASHINGTON, Rhea, TN

Built 1962 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,166

FAS 303

Good

Over: SALE CREEK

IN GRAYSVILLE CITY LIMITS, Rhea, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,236

NFA 1195 (SA 7204)

Good

Over: STEWARTS CREEK

1MI WEST OF US 27, Rhea, TN

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 547

FAP 29

Good

Over: RICHLAND CREEK OVERFLOW

IN DAYTON CITY LIMITS, Rhea, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,414

FAP 29

Good

Over: RICHLAND CREEK OVERFLOW

IN DAYTON CITY LIMITS, Rhea, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 23,414

FAP 29

Good

Over: TOWN CREEK

.7 MI.S.W. OF SPRING CITY, Rhea, TN

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,838

FAP 29

Good

Over: RAVINE

CITY LIMITS - SPRING CITY, Rhea, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,821

FAP 29

Good

Over: CAMP CREEK

1.12 MI.SW.OF ROANE CO., Rhea, TN

Built 1931 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,645

FAU 60

Good

Over: BROYLES BRANCH

IN DAYTON CITY LIMITS, Rhea, TN

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,873

FAS 302

Good

Over: BUSH CREEK

4 MI S.W. WATTS BAR DAM, Rhea, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,166

NFA 1203

Good

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

1 MILE NE OF HWY 70, Roane, TN

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 288

NFA 1228

Good

Over: TVA HAUL ROAD (PRIVATE)

N OF KINGSTON STEAM PLANT, Roane, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 287

NFA 2365 (SA 7312)

Good

Over: CAVE CREEK

N OF TN RIVER-AT LOUDON C, Roane, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 749

NFA 2376 (SA 7318)

Good

Over: KINGS CREEK

JUST NE OF EMORY-CLINCH J, Roane, TN

Built 1940 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 417

FAU 3689 791091B

Good

Over: SOUTHERN RAILROAD

IN OAK RIDGE, Roane, TN

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,952

FAU 3701

Good

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

IN THE CITY OF ROCKWOOD, Roane, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 313

FAU 3701

Good

Over: CARDIFF CREEK

IN THE CITY OF ROCKWOOD, Roane, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 313

NFA A002

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

BLACK CREEK RD, Roane, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 180

NFA A018

Good

Over: CLIFTY CREEK

ON CO LINE-AT EMORY RIVER, Roane, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 690

NFA A481

Good

Over: CANEY CREEK

W OF SR29-BTWN I40& US 27, Roane, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 650

NFA A888

Good

Over: BOWMAN BRANCH

N OFF US70-SW OF KINGSTON, Roane, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 340

NFA A163 (SA 7316)

Good

Over: BRANCH

E OFF SR58-AT CLINCH RIV, Roane, TN

Built 1939 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 230

NFA B485

Good

Over: PAW PAW CREEK

S OF I40 ON LOUDON CO LN, Roane, TN

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 480

NFA B485

Good

Over: PAW PAW CREEK

S OF I40-ON LOUDON CO LN, Roane, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 420

NFA A402 (SA 7311)

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

1 M SE OF US70 AT KINGSTO, Roane, TN

Built 1940 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 970

NFA A556

Good

Over: RILEY CREEK

E OFF SR58-.8 M N OF SR72, Roane, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 840

NFA A578

Good

Over: PAINT ROCK CREEK

1.5 M NW OF SR72 AT CO LN, Roane, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A320

Good

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

W OFF SR326 JUST S OF I40, Roane, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A643

Good

Over: PAINT ROCK CREEK

1.5 M S OF SR72-SR322 JCT, Roane, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

NFA A639

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

W OFF SR322-2.6 M N OF CL, Roane, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 140

NFA A736

Good

Over: BRANCH

W OFF SR322-2 M N OF CO L, Roane, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A714

Good

Over: RILEY CREEK

E OFF SR58-3 M S OF SR72, Roane, TN

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 430

NFA A714

Good

Over: BARNARD NARROWS BRANCH

E OFF SR58-3.3 M S OF 72, Roane, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 430

NFA A633

Good

Over: BRANCH

W OF SR322 NEAR LOUDON CO, Roane, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 250

NFA A992

Good

Over: CARDIFF CREEK

N OFF US 27-.7 M W OF 382, Roane, TN

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 60

NFA A664

Good

Over: RILEY CREEK

E OFF SR 58-1.2 M S OF 72, Roane, TN

Built 2018 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A404

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

1.5 M SE OF US70-SR326 JC, Roane, TN

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

NFA B474

Good

Over: EAST FORK POPLAR CREEK

0.2 MILE NW OF SR95, Roane, TN

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 690

NFA B470

Good

Over: EAST FORK POPLAR CREEK

0.5 MILE WEST OF SR95, Roane, TN

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 690

NFA 2366 (SA 7314)

Good

Over: I40

1.5 M W OF LOUDON CO LINE, Roane, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

FAU 3694 841864U

Good

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

.3 M NE JCT SR29&SR61, Roane, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 359

NFA 2366 (SA 7314)

Good

Over: PAWPAW CREEK

N OF I40-1 M W OF LOUDON, Roane, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

Showing 16,951-17,000 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.