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)

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.

All Bridges in Tennessee

I24

Good

Over: EAST FORK HURRICANE CREE

2.1 M NE JCT I24&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 145,068

FAU 1057 (SA 7526)

Good

Over: WALDRON RD / I24

2.1 MI NW JCT I24&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1968 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 31,217

I24

Good

Over: OVERALL CREEK

3.5 M NW JCT SR99&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 135,170

FAS 99

Good

Over: SR 99 / I24

1.4 M S JCT SR99&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,388

I24

Good

Over: BRANCH

.9 M NW JCT I24&SR10, Rutherford, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100,550

NFA 2013 (SA 7515)

Good

Over: JOE B. JACKSON RD / I24

3.7 MI S JCT SR1&SR2, Rutherford, TN

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,857

I24

Good

Over: STONES RIVER

8.7 M SE JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 45,739

I24

Good

Over: STONES RIVER

8.7 M SE JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 45,739

I24

Good

Over: BRANCH

9.8 M SE JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 45,739

I24

Good

Over: BRANCH

9.8 M SE JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 45,739

I24

Good

Over: BRANCH

10.4 M SE JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 45,739

FAP 840 RP E

Good

Over: SR 840 RP E / I24

3.7 M NW JCT I24 & SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 48,128

I840

Good

Over: I840 / I24

3.4 MI NW JCT I24 & SR 96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 48,128

I840

Good

Over: I840 / I24

3.4 MI NW JCT I24 & SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 48,128

I24

Good

Over: I-24 WEST RAMP / BRANCH

JCT I-24 AND WALDRON RD., Rutherford, TN

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 145,068

FAU 3381

Good

Over: STEWART CREEK

ENON SPRINGS NEAR MAYFIEL, Rutherford, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,269

FAS 269

Good

Over: SHORT CREEK

3.4 M E JCT SR269&SR10, Rutherford, TN

Built 1957 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,245

FAS 269

Good

Over: SHORT CREEK

2.8 M E JCT SR269&SR10, Rutherford, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,482

NFA 1046 (SA 7533)

Good

Over: BRANCH

4.3 MI NW JCT SR1&CANNON, Rutherford, TN

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 465

FAS 99

Good

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

1.8 M W CANNON CO LINE, Rutherford, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 664

FAS 102

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.8 M N JCT SR102&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,585

FAS 102

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.3 M N JCT SR102&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,585

FAS 102

Good

Over: ROCKY FORK CREEK

5 M N JCT SR102&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 21,350

FAS 269

Good

Over: CONCORD CREEK

0.2 MI NW JCT SR99&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,568

FAU 1084 (SA 7520)

Good

Over: W. FORK STONES RIVER

1.0 MI NW JCT SR1&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 31,448

FAS 266

Good

Over: WADES BRANCH

.6 M SE JCT SR266&SR10, Rutherford, TN

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,030

NFA 1424 (SA 7518)

Good

Over: CRIPPLE CREEK

1.9 MI NW JCT SR99&CANNON, Rutherford, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 271

FAP 1

Good

Over: HARTS BRANCH

.9 M SE JCT SR1&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1945 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 24,383

FAP 1

Good

Over: STONES RIVER

.2 M SW JCT SR1&SR268, Rutherford, TN

Built 1948 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 25,759

FAP 1

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.7 M NE JCT I24&SR10, Rutherford, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,486

FAS 102 349252U

Good

Over: SR1/CSX RR/RP C & D

3.3 M SE JCT SR1&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,478

FAU 102 349252U

Good

Over: SR1/CSX RR/RP C & D

3.3 M SE JCT SR1&SR266, Rutherford, TN

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,478

FAP 1

Good

Over: SR 1 / CSX RR

1.5 M SE JCT SR1&SR102, Rutherford, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 34,465

FAP 1 RAMP K

Good

Over: SR 1 RAMP K / CSX RR

4.1MI NW JCT SR1&SR268, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,759

FAP 1 RAMP M

Good

Over: SR 1 RAMP M / SR 1

3.3 MI NW JCT SR1&SR268, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,759

FAP 1

Good

Over: BRANCH

5.6 MI E JCT SR1&SR2, Rutherford, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,368

FAS 1

Good

Over: DRY BRANCH

5.8 MI E JCT SR1&SR2, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,368

FAP 1

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.8 MI E JCT SR1&SR2, Rutherford, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 15,368

FAP 96

Good

Over: SR 96 / SR 1

2.0 MI E JCT SR96 & I24, Rutherford, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40,815

FAP 10

Good

Over: SINKING CREEK

.2 M N JCT SR10&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1927 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,808

FAP 10

Good

Over: STONES RIVER

3.6 MI.N.OF MURFREESBORO, Rutherford, TN

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,904

FAP 10

Good

Over: DRY FORK CREEK

2.9 MI S JCT10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,444

FAP 10

Good

Over: LYTLE CREEK

1.1 MI N JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1995 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 31,924

FAP 16

Good

Over: NEELEYS CREEK

.1 M S DAVIDSON CO LINE, Rutherford, TN

Built 1943 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,075

FAP 16

Good

Over: HARPETH RIVER

1.7 M N JCT SR16&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1940 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,479

FAP 16

Good

Over: KELLY CREEK

1.4 M SE JCT SR16&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1940 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,865

FAP 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

.5 MI.E. WILLIAMSON CO., Rutherford, TN

Built 1936 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,952

FAP 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.3 M E JCT SR96&SR102, Rutherford, TN

Built 1936 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,999

FAP 96

Good

Over: OVERALL CREEK

3 MI.W.OF MURFREESBORO, Rutherford, TN

Built 2020 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 19,024

FAP 96

Good

Over: W.FORK STONES RIVER

.4 M W JCT SR96&SR99, Rutherford, TN

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 39,271

Showing 17,201-17,250 of 20,379 bridges

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.

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.