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 1898 (SA 2824)

Fair

Over: BAUGH RD / I65

1 M NE OF ELKTON, Giles, TN

Built 1964 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 425

FAU 320 350030G

Fair

Over: CSX RAILROAD

0.8 MI. W OF I-75 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1936 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 14,517

NFA 1625 (SA 3515)

Fair

Over: HICKORY CREEK

2.5 MI S OF HAYWOOD CO., Hardeman, TN

Built 1949 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 245

NFA A236

Fair

Over: PORTERS CREEK

1 MI N OF MISS., Hardeman, TN

Built 1972 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 50

NFA A626

Fair

Over: PLEASENT RUN CREEK

1 MI N OF BOLIVAR, Hardeman, TN

Built 1972 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,000

NFA 866 (SA 3511)

Fair

Over: MCKINNIE CREEK

3 MI E OF FAYETTE CO., Hardeman, TN

Built 1956 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 668

FAP 66

Fair

Over: HOLSTON RIVER

1.69 M S OF ROGERSVILLE, Hawkins, TN

Built 1958 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 11,113

FAS 179

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

1 MI E TIPTON CO LI, Haywood, TN

Built 1959 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 838

NFA 1734 (SA 4027)

Fair

Over: BIRDS CREEK

3 MI. W. OF SR54, Henry, TN

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 297

NFA A058

Fair

Over: BIRDS CREEK

4 MI. W. OF SR54, Henry, TN

Built 1979 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 100

NFA A122

Fair

Over: ROARING RIVER

.2MI NORTH OF SR136, Jackson, TN

Built 2011 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 90

FAS 135

Fair

Over: BLACKBURNS CREEK

NEAR PUTNAM COUNTY, Jackson, TN

Built 1987 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 401

FAP 92

Fair

Over: HOLSTON RIVER

ON GRAINGER CO LINE, Jefferson, TN

Built 1962 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 5,307

NFA 2613 (SA 4605)

Fair

Over: ROAN CREEK

E OFF SR167 AT AIRPORT, Johnson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 918

FAS 163

Fair

Over: OOSTANOULA CREEK

2.34 MI E OF SR-2 JCT., McMinn, TN

Built 1955 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 5,965

FAS 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH

6.41 MI.WEST OF JACKSON, Madison, TN

Built 1925 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,836

FAS 2

Fair

Over: BATTLE CREEK

5.5 MI.S. OF MONTEAGLE, Marion, TN

Built 1924 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 656

NFA 1530 (SA 6613)

Fair

Over: KILHAM CREEK

4.5 MI SE JCT SR22&SR157, Obion, TN

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 630

NFA A032

Fair

Over: ROGERS CREEK

2.7 MI NE JCT SR21&SR183, Obion, TN

Built 1970 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 70

NFA A069

Fair

Over: HAMBLIN BRANCH

4.5 MI NE JCT SR22&SR157, Obion, TN

Built 1975 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 160

NFA A094

Fair

Over: TAYLOR CREEK

5.3 MI NE JCT SR22&SR157, Obion, TN

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 50

FAU 5456

Fair

Over: HALL CREEK

CHESTER STREET, Shelby, TN

Built 1957 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 735

FAP 14

Fair

Over: HORN LAKE CREEK

0.5 MI N OF MISS LINE, Shelby, TN

Built 1928 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 12,139

NFA A039

Fair

Over: ROCKY FORK CREEK

NW OF ROCKY FORK, Unicoi, TN

Built 1990 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 30

NFA 1771 (SA 9112)

Fair

Over: BUFFALO RIVER

4.0 MI SE JCT SR48&LEWIS, Wayne, TN

Built 1983 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 132

NFA A211

Fair

Over: GREEN RIVER

2.2 MI S JCT SR13&SR15, Wayne, TN

Built 1978 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 430

NFA A199

Fair

Over: DALE HOLLOW DAM SPILLWAY

3.5MI SE OF CELINA TN., Clay, TN

Built 1943 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 136

I75

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

1.5 M E OF LAKE CITY, Anderson, TN

Built 1971 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 49,351

FAP 30

Fair

Over: SEQUATCHIE RIVER

IN PIKEVILLE CITY LIMITS, Bledsoe, TN

Built 2001 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,637

I75

Fair

Over: SR 60

IN CLEVELAND, Bradley, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 52,196

I75

Fair

Over: SR 60

IN CLEVELAND CITY LIMITS, Bradley, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 52,196

NFA 1714 (SA 0903)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.6 MI NE JCT SR104&SR220, Carroll, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 462

NFA 1675 (SA 1205)

Fair

Over: SUGAR CREEK

1.1 MI WEST OF SR225, Chester, TN

Built 1955 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 198

FAP 100

Fair

Over: S. FK. FORKED DEER RIVER

1.72 MI.E. JCT. FAS 8164, Chester, TN

Built 1931 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 6,381

FAS 225

Fair

Over: MELTON BRANCH

SILERTON ROAD, Chester, TN

Built 1985 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,271

I40EBL 846765N

Fair

Over: SR 1 & SOU RWY

29.65 MI POST 334, Cumberland, TN

Built 1967 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 29,862

I40 WBL 846765N

Fair

Over: SR 1 & SOU RWY

29.65 MI POST 334, Cumberland, TN

Built 1967 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 29,862

KOREAN VETS BLVD.

Fair

Over: CUMBERLAND RIVER

GATEWAY BLVD.-NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 2004 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 17,329

FAU 4167

Fair

Over: I40

0.9 M.E. DONELSON PK, Davidson, TN

Built 1964 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 10,948

FAU 1395

Fair

Over: I40

IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 32,502

FAU 104 297393G

Fair

Over: ILLIONIS CENTRAL R.R.

0.6 M. E JCT SR104&SR211, Dyer, TN

Built 1936 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 4,628

NFA 1474 (SA 2414)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.5 MI NE JCT SR1&SR59, Fayette, TN

Built 2000 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 397

NFA A222

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.3 MI SW JCT SR193&SR194, Fayette, TN

Built 2004 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 130

NFA 1587 (SA 2703)

Fair

Over: BUCK CREEK

4.9 MI SE JCT SR104&SR188, Gibson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 172

NFA A722

Fair

Over: CAIN CREEK

4.8 MI N JCT SR5&SR152, Gibson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 790

NFA 966 (SA 2817)

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

14 M. NW. PULASKI., Giles, TN

Built 1984 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 739

FAS 245

Fair

Over: YOKLEY CREEK

2.6 MI.NW.OF CAMPBELLSVIL, Giles, TN

Built 1959 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 711

FAU 8

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

1.06 MI. W OF I-75 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20,510

NFA 1625 (SA 3515)

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3.5 MI E OF WHITEVILLE, Hardeman, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 245

FAS 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.2 M S OF THOMAS RD, Haywood, TN

Built 1925 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 4,572

Showing 1,801-1,850 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.