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

FAP 15

Good

Over: ELK RIVER

1.1 MI.NE.OF KELSO, Lincoln, TN

Built 2007 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 6,109

FAP 15

Good

Over: ELK RIVER

1.1 MI.NE.OF KELSO, Lincoln, TN

Built 2007 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 6,109

NFA A183

Good

Over: SMITH BRANCH

SMITH GROVE RD., Tipton, TN

Built 2014 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 120

NFA 960 (SA 2806)

Good

Over: EAST FORK SHOALS CREEK

4.3 M E OF MINOR HILL, Giles, TN

Built 1979 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 207

FAS 245

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK

6.8 MI.N.OF CAMPBELLSVILL, Giles, TN

Built 1955 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 711

NFA A007

Good

Over: LITTLE HATCHIE CREEK

5 MI N OF SR15, McNairy, TN

Built 2013 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 111

FAP 14 RAMP

Good

Over: SR-14 RAMP "F" / SR-14

0.6 MI N OF WOLF RIVER, Shelby, TN

Built 1997 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 84,381

NFA B007

Good

Over: SULPHUR FORK CREEK

3.5 MI N JCT SR52&SR259, Sumner, TN

Built 2011 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 40

NFA A005

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

0.5 MI W OF GILTEDGE, Tipton, TN

Built 2006 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 290

NFSR 2659

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

MILL CREEK, Monroe, TN

Built 2005 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 50

ACCESS ROAD

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

SR 156 NICKAJACK DAM, Marion, TN

Built 1966 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 150

NFA 5577 (SA 2007)

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

1.3 MI E OF HENDERSON CO., Decatur, TN

Built 2012 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 202

FAP 15

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

.7 M E OF I65, Giles, TN

Built 1995 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 5,230

FAP 50

Good

Over: SWAN CREEK

2.8 MI.SE.OF CENTERVILLE, Hickman, TN

Built 2012 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 2,043

FAP 115 RL

Good

Over: SR115-ALCOA / KINGSTON

1.4 M N OF SR158, Knox, TN

Built 2000 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 62,553

FAP 71

Good

Over: J WHITE PKWY / RIVERSIDE

JAMES WHITE PARKWAY, Knox, TN

Built 1999 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 11,683

FAP 68

Good

Over: I75

NEAR MCMINN CO LINE, Monroe, TN

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 6,339

FAP 68

Good

Over: I75

NEAR MCMINN CO LINE, Monroe, TN

Built 1970 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 6,339

NFA B350

Good

Over: VERNON CREEK

2 M. E. PALMYRA., Montgomery, TN

Built 1989 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 260

ROAD 1909

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

EAST OF ACID PLANT, Hawkins, TN

Built 1990 Load: 38.2 t ADT: 50

FAS 436

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

3.6 MI S JCT SR76&SR22, Carroll, TN

Built 2012 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 1,461

FAU 255

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.5 M NE JCT SR11&SR255, Davidson, TN

Built 1967 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 39,538

NFA B243

Good

Over: BRANCH

BRANTLEY DR. IN NASHVILLE, Davidson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 1,050

NFA D199

Good

Over: BRANCH

.01 M N OF SR 100, Davidson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 230

NFA C404

Good

Over: BRANCH

IN FORREST HILLS, Davidson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 150

NFA C405

Good

Over: BRANCH

IN FORREST HILLS, Davidson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 60

FAP 386

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.99 M E OF TWO MILE PKWY, Davidson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 80,775

FAP 15

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

.7 M E OF I65, Giles, TN

Built 1995 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 5,230

FAP 15

Good

Over: TURKEY CREEK

1.5 MI.E.OF SAVANNAH, Hardin, TN

Built 2010 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 6,876

NFA A179

Good

Over: KEY BRANCH

2 M N OF NUNNELLY, Hickman, TN

Built 1975 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 10

NFA A387

Good

Over: BRANCH

4 M W OF NUNNELLY, Hickman, TN

Built 1976 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 30

NFA A101

Good

Over: SALMON BRANCH

7.5 M. SE. ERIN., Houston, TN

Built 1983 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 60

NFA A110

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

5.5 M. E. ERIN., Houston, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 80

NFA A139

Good

Over: MUSTERGROUND CREEK

6.5 M. E. ERIN., Houston, TN

Built 2000 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 10

NFA A150

Good

Over: BRANCH

ROCKY HOLLOW RD. IN ERIN., Houston, TN

Built 1966 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 1,640

NFA 910 (SA 4201)

Good

Over: BRANCH

5 M S OF TENN RIDGE, Houston, TN

Built 1962 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 126

I40

Good

Over: I40-LL / E. FIFTH AVE.

DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 2007 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 89,950

FAS 21

Good

Over: REELFOOT LAKE SPILLWAY

SR-21, Lake, TN

Built 2011 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 2,448

NFA A332

Good

Over: COTTS CREEK

1.2 M. S. FIVE POINTS-, Lawrence, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 130

NFA 1969 (SA 5212)

Good

Over: BRANCH

5.25 M. S. KELSO., Lincoln, TN

Built 1965 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 815

NFA A049

Good

Over: BRANCH

4 M. NW. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 60

NFA A089

Good

Over: HAYES BRANCH

4.5 M. NW. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 30

NFA A187

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.5 M. SW. MULBERRY, Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 40

NFA A870

Good

Over: ONEAL BRANCH

7 M. NW. TAFT., Lincoln, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 80

FAS 110

Good

Over: SHERRILL BRANCH

1 MI FROM GILES CO. LINE, Lincoln, TN

Built 1971 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 2,143

FAS 121

Good

Over: BRANCH

2 M NE OF ALABAMA ST LINE, Lincoln, TN

Built 1971 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 3,347

FAS 273

Good

Over: BRANCH

9 M. S. OF FAIRVIEW., Lincoln, TN

Built 1988 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 1,644

NFA 1855 (SA 6303)

Good

Over: BRANCH

6 M. S. PALMYRA., Montgomery, TN

Built 1960 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 272

FAP 374

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

.2 M WEST OF SR 48, Montgomery, TN

Built 1992 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 40,643

NFA A076

Good

Over: SOUTH BRANCH

1 MI FROM SR28, Pickett, TN

Built 1986 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 40

Showing 19,151-19,200 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.