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

FAS 233

Good

Over: SOUTH CROSS CREEK

4 MI.EAST OF SR049, Stewart, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,506

NFA 1799 (SA 8115)

Good

Over: MORGAN CREEK

1MI.WEST OF BUMPUS MILLS, Stewart, TN

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 156

NFA 1801 (SA 8109)

Good

Over: MORRIS CREEK

0.07 MI NORTH OF SR 76, Stewart, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

NFA 1801 (SA 8109)

Good

Over: DYER CREEK

BIG ROCK;BETWEEN SR76&120, Stewart, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

NFA 1801 (SA 8109)

Good

Over: DYER CREEK

BIG ROCK;BETWEEN SR76&120, Stewart, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 300

FAS 46

Good

Over: LEE CREEK

8 MI.N. OF SR 149, Stewart, TN

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 195

NFA 1793 (SA 8102)

Good

Over: BRANCH

3MI.S-E OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 739

FAP 49

Good

Over: CROSS CREEK

9 MI.SE.OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 816

FAP 76

Good

Over: BRANCH

2 MI.W.OF DONELSON, Stewart, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,306

FAP 76

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

IN DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,005

FAP 76

Good

Over: SPRING BRANCH

4.4 MI.NW.OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,511

FAP 76

Good

Over: BRANCH

7 MI.W.OF MONTGOMERY CO., Stewart, TN

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,660

FAS 44

Good

Over: CAYLESS CREEK

E. OF BLUFF CITY, Sullivan, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,914

NFA A014

Good

Over: SINKING CREEK

1.1 M NW OF SR36 AT CO LI, Sullivan, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 540

NFA 2640 (SA 8206)

Good

Over: KENDRICK CREEK

JUST S OF I81-US23 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,296

NFA 2672

Good

Over: REEDY CREEK

.5 M SW OF SR 1, Sullivan, TN

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 806

NFA 2676 (SA 8240)

Good

Over: BEIDLMAN CREEK

E OF SR44-MEADOW RD, Sullivan, TN

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 628

NFA 2678 (SA 8225)

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

W OF SR34-SR37 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 966

FAU 3903

Good

Over: ROCK SPRINGS BRANCH

IN KINGSPORT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,213

FAU 3894

Good

Over: ROCK SPRING BRANCH

.7 MI NE OF I181, Sullivan, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,724

NFA 4429

Good

Over: BRANCH OF SINKING CREEK

S. OF I81, Sullivan, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 154

FAU 4794

Good

Over: MAD BRANCH

SUSSEX DRIVE, Sullivan, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,654

NFA A005

Good

Over: BRANCH OF CEDAR CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A202

Good

Over: GAMMON CREEK

1MI EAST OF SR75, Sullivan, TN

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 250

NFA 1375

Good

Over: WAGNER CREEK

JUST N OF AIRPORT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,810

NFA A289

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK & NFA A290

3MI SOUTH OF SR37, Sullivan, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 220

FAU 4212 (SA 8235)

Good

Over: BACK CREEK

.3 MI WEST OF SR 34, Sullivan, TN

Built 1965 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,222

NFA A375

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

NFA A394

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 2007 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 290

NFA A006

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

W OF US11E IN BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 500

NFA A456

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

NFA A459

Good

Over: LITTLE CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 280

NFA A491

Good

Over: STEELE CREEK

1MI SOUTH OF SR126, Sullivan, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 420

NFA A551

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,200

NFA A816

Good

Over: PAPERVILLE CREEK

SE OF BRISTOL-N OF US421, Sullivan, TN

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 40

NFA A846

Good

Over: BRANCH

NEAR HOLSTON RIVER, Sullivan, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A859

Good

Over: HOLSTON RIVER

JUST W OF S. HOLSTON DAM, Sullivan, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 400

NFA B074

Good

Over: DARR CREEK

AT CO LINE BTWN 11E&SR36, Sullivan, TN

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

NFA B149

Good

Over: SINKING CREEK

FORDTOWN RD-SE OF KINGSPT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 570

FAU 4429 244005J

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.7 M SE JCT I81&I181, Sullivan, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 154

NFA B289

Good

Over: KENDRICK CREEK

W OF SR36-I81 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

FAU 3894

Good

Over: KENDRICK CREEK

ROCK SPRINGS RD-S OF SR36, Sullivan, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,724

NFA B323

Good

Over: ROCK SPRINGS BRANCH

MELROSE DRIVE, Sullivan, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 50

NFA B406

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

N OF SR347, Sullivan, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

NFA C138

Good

Over: CLARK BRANCH

N OF 11W JUST E OF KINGSP, Sullivan, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 440

NFA C214

Good

Over: REEDY CREEK

S OFF US11W-E OF KINGSPRT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 270

NFA C442

Good

Over: FALL CREEK

OLD MILL RD-W OF I81&357, Sullivan, TN

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 250

NFA C840

Good

Over: FALL CREEK

NW OF I-81-SR357 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 175

NFA C503

Good

Over: REEDY CREEK

N OFF US11W-2 M E OF SR37, Sullivan, TN

Built 1972 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150

NFA 4792

Good

Over: REEDY CREEK

S OFF US11W-W OF SR37 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 825

Showing 17,751-17,800 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.