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

FAU 3992

Fair

Over: SINKING CREEK

.6 M NW OF CARTER CO LN, Washington, TN

Built 1930 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 10,832

NFA A624

Fair

Over: SR-43

KENNY RD, Weakley, TN

Built 1993 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 4,670

NFA A246

Fair

Over: QUINN BRANCH

3.2 MI SW JCT SR96&SR100, Williamson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 380

NFA A101

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.1 MI WEST OF SR109, Wilson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 160

NFA A212

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

0.3 MI SOUTH OF SR24, Wilson, TN

Built 1955 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 60

FAP 26

Fair

Over: SINKING CREEK

IN CITY OF LEBANON, Wilson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 13,563

NFA A057

Fair

Over: CLEM CREEK

1 M. N. UNIONVILLE., Bedford, TN

Built 1950 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 30

NFA A053

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

3MI EAST OF SR145, Cannon, TN

Built 1949 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 10

FAS 173

Fair

Over: TIGER CREEK

AT TIGER VALLEY, Carter, TN

Built 1941 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 1,386

FAP 37

Fair

Over: US-19E / KEENEBURG RD

NW OF ELIZABETHTON, Carter, TN

Built 1988 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 10,349

FAP 69

Fair

Over: BEECH RIVER

.73 MI.N.OF DECATURVILLE, Decatur, TN

Built 1930 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 6,438

FAP 15

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

IN SOMERVILLE, Fayette, TN

Built 1957 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 12,969

FAP 7

Fair

Over: LYNN CREEK

11.7 MI.N.OF PULASKI, Giles, TN

Built 1927 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 4,156

NFA A501

Fair

Over: BRADSHAW CREEK

.2 MI.E.OF FRANKENWING, Giles, TN

Built 1929 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 280

NFA 1236 (SA 3026)

Fair

Over: UNION TEMPLE CREEK

3.3 M NE OF SR93-SR351 JC, Greene, TN

Built 1922 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 416

FAS 172

Fair

Over: ROARING FORK CREEK

NORTH OF GREENEVILLE, Greene, TN

Built 1960 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 5,811

FAP 160

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

5 MI SW OF JCT SR32&SR160, Hamblen, TN

Built 1992 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 20,599

FAS 474

Fair

Over: NORFOLK SOU RWY

BTWN SR160 & SR34, Hamblen, TN

Built 2004 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 10,187

FAP 18

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

NEAR BOLIVAR TENN., Hardeman, TN

Built 1983 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 6,835

NFA A335

Fair

Over: BRANCH

BARK HINDMAN RD E SR 142, Hardin, TN

Built 1972 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 20

NFA A317

Fair

Over: FOURTH CREEK

W OFF SR332(NORTHSHORE DR, Knox, TN

Built 1962 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A102

Fair

Over: GINGERBREAD CREEK

8 M. N. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1970 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A116

Fair

Over: GIMLET CREEK

GROCE RD., Lincoln, TN

Built 1968 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 100

NFA A138

Fair

Over: NORRIS CREEK

8.5 M. N. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1940 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 60

NFA A448 (SA 5434)

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

2MI WEST OF I75, McMinn, TN

Built 1935 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 600

NFA A274

Fair

Over: SINKHOLE CREEK

CAGEL RD-N OF TELLICO PLN, Monroe, TN

Built 1975 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 80

FAP 5

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

.8 MI.S.OF UNION CITY, Obion, TN

Built 1934 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 3,625

FAP 35

Fair

Over: W.FK.LITTLE PIGEON RIVER

IN SEVIERVILLE, Sevier, TN

Built 1933 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 15,031

FAP 66

Fair

Over: FRENCH BROAD RIVER

1.6 MI S JCT SR139, Sevier, TN

Built 1968 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 44,996

FAP 66

Fair

Over: FRENCH BROAD RIVER

SE OF I40-SR66 EXCHANGE, Sevier, TN

Built 1987 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 44,996

FAU 5089

Fair

Over: BRANCH

LEVI RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1958 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 9,213

FAP 3

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

1.7 MI.N.OF SHELBT CO., Tipton, TN

Built 1927 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 24,851

FAS 144

Fair

Over: N FORK BULL RUN CREEK

1.6 M SE JCT SR144&SR33, Union, TN

Built 1952 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 3,217

NFA A174

Fair

Over: BYBEE BRANCH

2MI NORTH OF SR1BYPASS, Warren, TN

Built 1935 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 370

LITTLE RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: LITTLE RIVER

11.3 MILES WEST FROM NPS, Sevier, TN

Built 1950 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,415

PARSON BRANCH ROAD

Fair

Over: PARSON BRANCH

0.2 MILES FROM U.S. ROUTE, Blount, TN

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1

RAMSEY CASCADES RO

Fair

Over: MIDDLE PRONG LPR

0.12 MILES EAST FROM NPS, Sevier, TN

Built 1983 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1

TREMONT ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE PRONG LITTLE RIVE

1.5 MILES TO NPS ROUTE 15, Blount, TN

Built 1984 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 512

NFA A317

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

4.5 MI S OF SR54, Crockett, TN

Built 1991 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 120

FAU 3242 350196L

Fair

Over: CHURCH ST/10-11-12&CSX R

DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1991 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 12,017

FAS 193

Fair

Over: BRANCH

5.2 M E JCT SR193&SR196, Fayette, TN

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,621

NFA 1540 (SA 2405)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.4 MI SW JCT SR18&SR57, Fayette, TN

Built 1968 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 163

NFA 1555 (SA 2417)

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK

4.6 MI NE JCT SR59&SR222, Fayette, TN

Built 1962 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 351

NFA A023

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

1.7 MI S JCT I40&SR59, Fayette, TN

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 80

NFA A086

Fair

Over: BRANCH

ON BLALOCK ROAD, Fayette, TN

Built 2018 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 30

NFA A103

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.9 MI NE JCT SR59&SR222, Fayette, TN

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 30

NFA A120

Fair

Over: ARMOUR CREEK

ARMOUR DR., Fayette, TN

Built 1996 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 290

NFA A191

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.4 MI SW JCT SR18&SR57, Fayette, TN

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 20

NFA 1442

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER OVERFLOW

5.5 MI SE JCT SR76&SR193, Fayette, TN

Built 1958 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 529

NFA A018

Fair

Over: LITTLE CYPRESS CR CANAL

4.0 MI SW JCT SR59&SR194, Fayette, TN

Built 1960 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 120

Showing 1,751-1,800 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.