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 A714

Fair

Over: BAILEY FORK CREEK

1 MI. E. OF PARIS, Henry, TN

Built 1991 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,350

I40

Fair

Over: SR 113

2.34 MI FROM COCKE CO.LN., Jefferson, TN

Built 1961 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25,031

FAP 72

Fair

Over: POND CREEK

4.48 MI.FROM LOUDON CITY, Loudon, TN

Built 1942 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,014

FAS 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.2 MI WEST OF JACKSON, Madison, TN

Built 1959 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 7,620

FAP 5

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FK.FORKED DEER RI

4.95 MI.N.OF JACKSON, Madison, TN

Built 1968 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30,652

I24

Fair

Over: I-24 WB / SR-27

SR-27 JUNCTION, Marion, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 52,102

FAP 6

Fair

Over: DUCK RIVER

IN COLUMBIA TN, Maury, TN

Built 1992 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 29,934

FAP 30

Fair

Over: TENNESSEE RIVER

BORDERS MEIGS CO, Rhea, TN

Built 1996 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 4,174

FAS 269

Fair

Over: W. FORK STONES RIVER

1.9 MI W JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1985 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,568

I40 WB EXIT RP

Fair

Over: I40-LL-RP-B/2 RTS & RR

AT I40 / MS RV BRIDGE, Shelby, TN

Built 1989 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 37,848

FAP 1

Fair

Over: SCOTTS CREEK

3.5 M E OF SR177, Shelby, TN

Built 1929 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 17,719

I181 LF LN

Fair

Over: FAU 1360

0.4 MI NW OF SR 93 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1981 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25,622

I181 RT LN

Fair

Over: FAU 1360

0.4 MI NW OF SR 93 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1981 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25,622

FAS 59

Fair

Over: BRANCH

BOUNDRY-WEST GILT EDGE, Tipton, TN

Built 1992 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 851

FAU 286

Fair

Over: BIG HICKORY CREEK

CITY LMTS OF MCMINNVILLE, Warren, TN

Built 2010 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 2,698

NFA 2630 (SA 9009)

Fair

Over: ONION CREEK

E. OF SR353, Washington, TN

Built 1955 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 442

NFA A472

Fair

Over: DOLAND BRANCH

1.8 MI E OF SR54, Weakley, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

FAS 190

Fair

Over: MAYO BRANCH

1.3 MI.NW.OF PALMERSVILLE, Weakley, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 305

NFSR 62

Fair

Over: SHEEDS CREEK

NATIONAL FOREST, Polk, TN

Built 1989 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25

NFA 2401

Fair

Over: BULL RUN CREEK

E OF ATOMIC ENERGY COMMIS, Anderson, TN

Built 1952 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 964

NFA A136

Fair

Over: HINDS CREEK

1.5 M S OF I75-SR61 JCT., Anderson, TN

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,820

NFA A940

Fair

Over: BRANCH

IN OAK RIDGE, Anderson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 430

NFA B030

Fair

Over: EAST FORK POPLAR CREEK

.7 M SE OF SR62-SR95 JCT, Anderson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,950

NFA E400

Fair

Over: EAST FORK OF POPLAR CREE

MONTERY RD, Anderson, TN

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 190

FAU 3729

Fair

Over: BRANCH

IN CITY OF OAK RIDGE, Anderson, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,315

NFA B158

Fair

Over: EAST FORK OF POPLAR CREE

NEAR OAK RIDGE, Anderson, TN

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 180

NFA 1297 (SA 0117)

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

0.6 M NE OF ANDERSONVILLE, Anderson, TN

Built 1979 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,188

FAS 61

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.25 MI.NE.OF NORRIS, Anderson, TN

Built 1947 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,250

FAS 61

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

2.13 MI.W.OF UNION CO., Anderson, TN

Built 1947 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 980

FAP 61

Fair

Over: SOU RWY SR330 & NFA A39

IN OLIVER SPRINGS, Anderson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,343

FAP 62

Fair

Over: RAMPS TO & FROM SR 170

AT KNOX CO. LN., Anderson, TN

Built 1979 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 48,147

FAS 71

Fair

Over: HINDS CREEK

0.89 MI.N. JCT. FAS 2557, Anderson, TN

Built 1934 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,966

FAS 71

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

ENTER NORRIS CITY LIMITS, Anderson, TN

Built 1934 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,627

FAS 71

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

0.61 MI.N.NORRIS CITY LTS, Anderson, TN

Built 1934 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,591

FAP 95

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4 MI.OAK RIDGE CITY LTS., Anderson, TN

Built 1946 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 19,523

FAS 116

Fair

Over: STALLION BRANCH

0.31 MI.MORGAN CO. LINE, Anderson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 226

FAS 116

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

9.24 MI. JCT. FAS 2613, Anderson, TN

Built 1977 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,083

NFA 1993 (SA 0217)

Fair

Over: FLAT CREEK

5.5 M. SW. RAUS., Bedford, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 747

NFA 2008 (SA 0220)

Fair

Over: MOUNT MORIAH BRANCH

4.5 M. NE. SHELBYVILLE., Bedford, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 498

FAU 3471

Fair

Over: HOLLAND BRANCH

IN SHELBYVILLE, Bedford, TN

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,297

NFA A115

Fair

Over: CLEM CREEK

1 M. W. UNIONVILLE., Bedford, TN

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 120

NFA A164

Fair

Over: BUTLER CREEK

4 M. NE. SHELBYVILLE, Bedford, TN

Built 1977 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 250

NFA A187

Fair

Over: GARRISON FORK CREEK

1 M. S. WARTRACE., Bedford, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 120

NFA A195 (SA 0205)

Fair

Over: SIMS SPRINGS

9 M. W. SHELBYVILLE, Bedford, TN

Built 1998 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 720

NFA A310

Fair

Over: CASCADE BRANCH

0.5 M. SE. NORMANDY., Bedford, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 280

NFA A374 (SA 0205)

Fair

Over: SINKING CREEK

6 M. S. UNIONVILLE., Bedford, TN

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 250

NFA A396

Fair

Over: COOPS CREEK

5 M. SW. BELL BUCKLE., Bedford, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 180

FAS 269

Fair

Over: BELL BUCKLE CREEK

.3 M S JCT SR82&SR269, Bedford, TN

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,906

NFA 1038 (SA 0221)

Fair

Over: CAVE BRANCH

2 M. W. NORMANDY., Bedford, TN

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,160

NFA 2004 (SA 0219)

Fair

Over: BOBO CREEK

3.2 M. W. RAUS., Bedford, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 424

Showing 1,851-1,900 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.