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 A931

Poor

Over: REAGAN CREEK

3.6 MI NE JCT SR54&CROCK., Gibson, TN

Built 1990 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

NFA A978

Poor

Over: BRANCH

2.4 MI NE JCT SR43&SR105, Gibson, TN

Built 1989 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 130

FAP 108

Poor

Over: LICK CREEK

IN PALMER CITY LIMITS, Grundy, TN

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,051

FAU 3604

Poor

Over: FRIAR BRANCH

IN CHATTANOOGA, Hamilton, TN

Built 1976 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 6,006

NFA A498

Poor

Over: ROGERS CREEK

HANSLEY FRANKS RD W SR203, Hardin, TN

Built 1968 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

NFA A833

Poor

Over: JONES BEND CREEK

IN THE CITY OF PARIS, Henry, TN

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 790

NFA A239

Poor

Over: TUMBLING CREEK

2 M. SW. SR 230, Humphreys, TN

Built 1980 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 30

NFA A254

Poor

Over: BLUE CREEK

4 M. E. SR 13, Humphreys, TN

Built 1992 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 120

NFA A254

Poor

Over: BLUE CREEK

3 MI E SR 13, Humphreys, TN

Built 1989 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 120

NFA 0A268

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

RIDING ARENA LN., Humphreys, TN

Built 1970 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

NFA 0A269

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

LAWSON LN., Humphreys, TN

Built 1970 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

NFA A276

Poor

Over: BLUE CREEK

TATEM LN-HUMPHREYS CO., Humphreys, TN

Built 1998 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

NFA A279

Poor

Over: BLUE CREEK

2 M. E. SR 13, Humphreys, TN

Built 1989 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

NFA A341

Poor

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

2.5 M. W. SR 13, Humphreys, TN

Built 1964 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

NFA 0A639

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

MCBRIDE LN., Humphreys, TN

Built 1970 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

NFA 933 (SA 4314)

Poor

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

5 M. E. SR 13., Humphreys, TN

Built 1956 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 332

NFA 925 (SA 4303)

Poor

Over: GRASSY BRANCH

4 M. W. SR13., Humphreys, TN

Built 1955 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 498

FAP 1

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

1.5 MI.NE.OF DENVER STA., Humphreys, TN

Built 1959 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 8,019

NFA A316

Poor

Over: OVERFLOW

5 MI. W. OF HAYWOOD CO., Lauderdale, TN

Built 1973 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 50

NFA 821 (SA 4930)

Poor

Over: OVERFLOW

NEAR HALLS, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1972 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 225

NFA 821 (SA 4930)

Poor

Over: OVERFLOW

NEAR HALLS, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1960 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 225

NFA A405

Poor

Over: ELK RIVER

LINCOLN COUNTY, Lincoln, TN

Built 1901 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

NFA A082

Poor

Over: SULPHUR SPRINGS BRANCH

10 MI W OF SR22, McNairy, TN

Built 1977 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 90

NFA A364

Poor

Over: OVERFLOW

1.3 MI N JCT SR18&HAEDEMA, Madison, TN

Built 1945 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

NFA A386

Poor

Over: OVERFLOW

2.5 MI SW JCT SR138&SR223, Madison, TN

Built 1968 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 30

NFA 1905 350647M

Poor

Over: GREENLICK CR &TSOU RR

5.5M. NW. COLUMBIA., Maury, TN

Built 1962 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 228

NFA A358

Poor

Over: BIG BIGBY BRANCH

4 M S OF MT PLEASANT, Maury, TN

Built 1916 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 140

NFA A408

Poor

Over: BIG BIGBY CREEK

3 M. N. MT. PLEASANT., Maury, TN

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 260

NFA A022

Poor

Over: SEWEE CREEK

EAST OF TENN RIVER, Meigs, TN

Built 1884 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

NFA A615

Poor

Over: BLOOMING GROVE CREEK

.5 M. W. OF DOTSONVILLE, Montgomery, TN

Built 1976 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 430

NFA 2400 841834C

Poor

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

W OFF US27-N OF HELENWOOD, Scott, TN

Built 1937 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 769

NFA K640

Poor

Over: BRANCH

GALLAWAY LEVEE RD-SHELBY, Shelby, TN

Built 1958 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 461

NFA K639

Poor

Over: W BEAVER CREEK CANAL

COLLIERVILLE-ARLINGTON RD, Shelby, TN

Built 1958 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,288

NFA 2076 (SA 8013)

Poor

Over: LITTLE INDIAN CREEK

3 MI NE JCT SR 24 & SR 53, Smith, TN

Built 1927 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 50

NFA A259

Poor

Over: BIG CREEK

3.5 MI N OF SHELBY CO., Tipton, TN

Built 1984 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 760

NFA A253

Poor

Over: EMORY RIVER

FROZEN HEAD STATE PARK, Morgan, TN

Built 1975 Load: 1.0 t ADT: 150

NFA B485

Poor

Over: PAW PAW CREEK

S OFF I40 ON LOUDON CO LN, Roane, TN

Built 1934 Load: 1.3 t ADT: 330

NFA A153

Poor

Over: DADDYS CREEK (CWMA)

.1MI FROM MORGAN CO. LINE, Cumberland, TN

Built 1950 Load: 1.6 t ADT: 25

NFA A317 347891F

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

3.4 MI SW JCT SR30&SR33, Polk, TN

Built 1913 Load: 1.6 t ADT: 40

NFA A191

Poor

Over: BYRAMS FORK CREEK

1 M W OF SR170 AT UNION C, Anderson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 1.9 t ADT: 70

NFA A463

Poor

Over: HILL CREEK

WITHIN 1M SE OF WOODBURY, Cannon, TN

Built 1950 Load: 1.9 t ADT: 170

NFA A021

Poor

Over: BRANCH

NEAR FULTON, Lauderdale, TN

Built 1995 Load: 1.9 t ADT: 150

NFA A484

Poor

Over: FORK COAL CREEK

1.2 M NW OF I75-US25W JCT, Anderson, TN

Built 1965 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 170

NFA A716

Poor

Over: HEATON BRANCH

S OF SR159-NE OF ROAN MTN, Carter, TN

Built 1960 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 10

NFA A277

Poor

Over: TRAIL FORK BIG CREEK

OFF SR107 SE OF DEL RIO, Cocke, TN

Built 1973 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 10

NFA A831

Poor

Over: MYATT CREEK (CWMA)

5 M NORTH OF I40, Cumberland, TN

Built 1989 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 200

FAU 4144

Poor

Over: BRANCH

6 MI GA TN ST LI, Hamilton, TN

Built 1981 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 2,256

NFA A765

Poor

Over: ROBERTSON CREEK

3 M SW OF SR66-SR113 JCT., Hawkins, TN

Built 1940 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 260

NFA A187

Poor

Over: REED CREEK

2.2 MI SW JCT SR99&CANNON, Rutherford, TN

Built 1940 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 170

NFA A119

Poor

Over: APISON FORK

3MI NORTHWEST OF I75, Bradley, TN

Built 1935 Load: 2.6 t ADT: 110

Showing 19,501-19,550 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.