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

FAU D062

Good

Over: BRANCH

3 MI SE JCT I65&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 520

OLD TOWNE RD

Good

Over: BEECH CREEK

1.5 MI SE JCT US431&TN254, Williamson, TN

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 200

WILLIAMS GROVE DR

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY

2.2 MI NE JCT TN252&TN253, Williamson, TN

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 90

NFA 986 (SA 9434)

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

3.2 MI SE JCT SR11&SR253, Williamson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,362

NFA 994 (SA 9422)

Good

Over: WEST HARPETH RIVER

3.6 MI S JCT SR46&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,724

NFA 980 (SA 9410)

Good

Over: MCCLORYS BRANCH

4.2 MI W OF US-31A, Williamson, TN

Built 2021 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,069

NFA 980 (SA 9410)

Good

Over: HURRICANE BRANCH

2.9 MI SW JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 2016 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,069

NFA 980

Good

Over: HARPETH RIVER

1.2 MI SE JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 2023 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 484

NFA 978 (SA 9406)

Good

Over: BOONE CREEK

4.6 MI SE JCT SR106&SR247, Williamson, TN

Built 2017 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 821

I65

Good

Over: BRANCH

3.6 M S JCT SR248&I65, Williamson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 109,713

FAS 248

Good

Over: SR 248 / I65

.8 M E JCT SR106&SR248, Williamson, TN

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 17,753

I65

Good

Over: HARPETH RIVER

1.5 M S JCT SR96&I65, Williamson, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 118,761

I65

Good

Over: I65 / LIBERTY PIKE

1 M N JCT SR96&I65, Williamson, TN

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 138,787

FAS 253

Good

Over: CONCORD RD / I65

2.2 MI.W.OF DAVIDSON CO., Williamson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,386

I65 RAMP

Good

Over: BRANCH

.8 M S JCT I65 & SR 247, Williamson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 94,031

I840 RP Q

Good

Over: I840 RP Q / I65

0.5 M E JCT SR106 & I840, Williamson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 41,539

I840

Good

Over: I840 / I65

1.0 MI E JCT SR106&I840, Williamson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 41,539

NFA B964

Good

Over: BAKERS BRIDGE RD / I-65

2.6 MI SE JCT SR6&SR253, Williamson, TN

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,080

NFA B990

Good

Over: SPARKS BRANCH

IN THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, Williamson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 960

FAS 46

Good

Over: PINEWOOD BRANCH

5.9 M SW JCT SR46&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,737

FAS 246

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.8 M N MAURY CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,704

NFA B980 (SA 9411)

Good

Over: MC CLORY CREEK

4.7 MI SW JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,090

NFA 1003 (SA 9411)

Good

Over: BRANCH

4.4 MI SW JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,356

NFA 1003 (SA 9411)

Good

Over: BRANCH

4.3 MI W JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,356

NFA 1003 (SA 9411)

Good

Over: STARNERS CREEK

2.7 MI SW JCT SR96&SR252, Williamson, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,356

FAS 252

Good

Over: BURKE BRANCH

2.5 M NW JCT SR96&SR252, Williamson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,983

FAS 246

Good

Over: BRANCH

5.36 MI. N. MAURY CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,861

NFA B992

Good

Over: SPARKS BRANCH

IN THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, Williamson, TN

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,810

FAS 247

Good

Over: AENON CREEK

2.1M E MAURY CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,217

FAS 247

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

.2 MI.W.OF LEWISBURG PIKE, Williamson, TN

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,217

NFA 842 (SA 9408)

Good

Over: ALEXANDER BRANCH

1.8 MI NE JCT SR106&SR247, Williamson, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,416

NFA 980 (SA 9410)

Good

Over: BRANCHI

4.6 MI SW JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,323

FAU 441

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

2.7 MI SE JCT SR6&SR253, Williamson, TN

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 19,962

FAU 441

Good

Over: LITTLE HARPETH RIVER

2.7 MI SE JCT SR6&SR253, Williamson, TN

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 19,962

FAP 6

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.3 M SW JCT SR6&SR248, Williamson, TN

Built 1932 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20,189

FAP 11

Good

Over: BRANCH

.6 M N MARSHALL CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,342

FAP 11

Good

Over: BRANCH

3.1 M SW JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,342

FAP 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.7 M SE DAVIDSON CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,927

SR 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.2 MI W JCT SR96&SR397, Williamson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,340

FAP 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

3.7 M SE JCT SR96&I65, Williamson, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,885

FAP 96

Good

Over: MAYES CREEK

3.8 M SE JCT SR96&I65, Williamson, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,885

FAP 96

Good

Over: BRANCH

4.4 M NW JCT SR96&SR11, Williamson, TN

Built 1948 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,885

SR096

Good

Over: BRANCH

4 MI SE JCT SR96/I65, Williamson, TN

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,885

FAP 100

Good

Over: LITTLE TURNBULL CREEK

.2 M NW JCT SR100&SR46, Williamson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,417

FAS 106

Good

Over: WEST HARPETH RIVER

.8 M SE JCT I65&SR106, Williamson, TN

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,851

FAS 106

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.2 M N JCT SR106&SR248, Williamson, TN

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 11,342

FAP 106

Good

Over: HARPETH RIVER

1.8 M NW JCT SR106&SR96, Williamson, TN

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 18,198

FAP 106

Good

Over: LYNNWOOD BRANCH

2.5 M S JCT SR106&SR46, Williamson, TN

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,922

FAP 106

Good

Over: BEECH CREEK

.7 M SW DAVIDSON CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,203

FAP 106

Good

Over: LITTLE HARPETH RIVER

.2 M SW DAVIDSON CO LINE, Williamson, TN

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 16,203

Showing 18,651-18,700 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.