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 3520

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.4 MI N OF COOKEVILLE, Putnam, TN

Built 1990 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 2,055

NFA A029

Good

Over: BIG INDIAN CREEK

ON LEFTWICH HOLLOW RD, Putnam, TN

Built 1988 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 10

NFA A161

Good

Over: WEST BLACKBURN FORK

3MI FROM SR 56, Putnam, TN

Built 1984 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 220

NFA A225

Good

Over: EAST BLACKBURN FORK

1MI FROM JACKSON CO LINE, Putnam, TN

Built 1983 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 160

NFA A294

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

.5MI FROM OVERTON CO LINE, Putnam, TN

Built 1982 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 100

NFA A338

Good

Over: SLAGEL CREEK

3 MI SOUTHEAST OF SR126, Sullivan, TN

Built 1960 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 125

I181 RT LN

Good

Over: ROCK SPRINGS RD.

3.60 MI.N.OF WASHINGTON, Sullivan, TN

Built 1968 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 41,117

NFA A178

Good

Over: BRANCH

3 MI NE OF BRIGHTON, Tipton, TN

Built 2005 Load: 38.6 t ADT: 130

NFA 1508 (SA 2320)

Good

Over: LOCUST GROVE RD. / SR 3

3.6 MI NE JCT SR77&SR211, Dyer, TN

Built 1979 Load: 38.7 t ADT: 149

FAP 153

Good

Over: FRIAR BRANCH

1.2 MI. N OF SR-2 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1962 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 71,981

NFA 1829 (SA 5111)

Good

Over: SCOTT BRANCH

6.5 M. NE. GORDONSBURG., Lewis, TN

Built 2019 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 311

NFA 884 (SA 6501)

Good

Over: EMORY RIVER

5 M SW OF WARTBURG @ NEM0, Morgan, TN

Built 2000 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 52

NFA 2326 (SA 7011)

Good

Over: OCOEE RIVER

2.3 MI SW JCT SR40&SR68, Polk, TN

Built 1983 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,312

NFA A213

Good

Over: PLUNKETT CREEK

3.8 MI SW JCT SR25&SR80, Smith, TN

Built 1992 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 180

FAU 36 243996E

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

3 MI.NW.OF WASHINGTON CO., Sullivan, TN

Built 1930 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 33,740

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Good

Over: COUNTY ROAD

2.9 MILES FROM TN ROUTE 7, Maury, TN

Built 1988 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 215

FAU 6 350581P

Good

Over: TENNESSEE SOUTHERN RR

5.71 MI.N. JCT. FAS 6253, Maury, TN

Built 2009 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 8,734

FAS 5

Good

Over: NORTH FORK HOOSIER CR.

1.3 MI.NW.OF UNION CITY, Obion, TN

Built 2010 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 2,836

NFA 842 350386P

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

4.2 MI SW JCT SR11&SR16, Williamson, TN

Built 1985 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 2,309

I40

Good

Over: I40-WB / COOPER ROAD

1.3 M NE OF THORN GROVE, Knox, TN

Built 1971 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 86,972

NFA 1021 (SA 7416)

Good

Over: NEW HALL RD (1021) / I65

1.5 MI NE JCT I65&SR257, Robertson, TN

Built 1969 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,664

FAP 61

Good

Over: I75

1.36 MI.W.OF NORRIS, Anderson, TN

Built 1971 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 27,933

FAP 61

Good

Over: I75

2.9 M W CLINCH R., Anderson, TN

Built 1971 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 27,933

NFA A622

Good

Over: CSX RAILROAD

NW OF SR 9 IN LAFOLLETTE, Campbell, TN

Built 1992 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 110

I40

Good

Over: I40 / CHERRY STREET

IN KNOXVILLE CITY LIMITS, Knox, TN

Built 1964 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 82,386

TOWNSEND ENTRANCE

Good

Over: LITTLE RIVER

0.1 MILES NORTH FROM NPS, Blount, TN

Built 1952 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,710

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Good

Over: SWEETWATER BRANCH

6.3 MILES TO U.S. ROUTE 6, Wayne, TN

Built 2003 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 700

NFA 1572 (SA 1701)

Good

Over: BRANCH FORKED DEER RIVER

2 MI W OF SR54, Crockett, TN

Built 2005 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 464

FAP 401 (SR 24)

Good

Over: SPENCE CREEK

2.2 M E JCT SR24&SR109, Wilson, TN

Built 2007 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 20,839

LBL ROAD 100

Good

Over: BRANDON SPRING BRANCH

LBL, Stewart, TN

Built 1984 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 1,000

FAS 436

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

4.8 MI NW JCT SR77&SR364, Carroll, TN

Built 2012 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 265

FAP 15

Good

Over: SHOAL CREEK

IN LAWRENCEBURG, Lawrence, TN

Built 1955 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 10,403

NFA 1976 (SA 5210)

Good

Over: BRANCH

3.5 M. SE. FAYETTEVILLE., Lincoln, TN

Built 1950 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,450

NFA A049

Good

Over: WHITE OAK CREEK

E OF SR 224, McNairy, TN

Built 2007 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 10

NFA A172

Good

Over: MORRIS CREEK

0.1 MI.NO. FROM SR 76, Stewart, TN

Built 1982 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 440

FAS 194

Good

Over: LAUREL CR. DRAIN. CANAL

6.8 MI.NORTH OF OAKLAND, Fayette, TN

Built 2012 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,032

FAU 3781

Good

Over: MOODY AVE /S. KNOXVILLE

MOODY AVE IN KNOXVILLE, Knox, TN

Built 1993 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 8,381

NFA A419

Good

Over: HICKORY CREEK

1MI WEST OF SR108, Warren, TN

Built 2003 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 280

POWELL ROAD

Good

Over: LOG LANDING SLOUGH

POWELL ROAD, Haywood, TN

Built 2004 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 25

POWELL ROAD

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

BEAR CREEK AT POWELL ROAD, Haywood, TN

Built 2004 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 25

POWELL ROAD

Good

Over: PIKE HOLE SLOUGH

POWELL ROAD, Haywood, TN

Built 2004 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 25

SWAN LAKE ROAD

Good

Over: SLOUGH

SWAN LAKE ROAD, Haywood, TN

Built 2004 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 10

SWAN LAKE ROAD

Good

Over: SLOUGH

SWAN LAKE ROAD, Haywood, TN

Built 2004 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 10

NFSR 210

Good

Over: NORTH RIVER

NATIONAL FOREST, Monroe, TN

Built 1983 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 386

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Good

Over: LITTLE BUFFALO RIVER

7.6 MILES TO TN ROUTE 20, Lewis, TN

Built 1959 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 750

NATCHEZ TRACE PARK

Good

Over: CYPRESS CREEK RELIEF

7.6 MILES TO TN ROUTE 13, Wayne, TN

Built 2003 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 685

FAS 436

Good

Over: OVERFLOW

5.0 MI NW JCT SR77&SR364, Carroll, TN

Built 2012 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 265

FAP 28

Good

Over: LITTLE OBED RIVER

IN CROSSVILLE, Cumberland, TN

Built 1973 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 21,423

FAP 28

Good

Over: LITTLE OBED RIVER

1.5 MI FM WAKLER HILL CIR, Cumberland, TN

Built 1973 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 21,423

FAP 20

Good

Over: ARMS CREEK

1.48 MI.WEST OF PARSONS, Decatur, TN

Built 2011 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 6,482

Showing 19,201-19,250 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.