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

FAS 56

Poor

Over: JENNINGS CREEK

.82 MI W. OF JACKSON CO., Macon, TN

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 71

FAS 56

Poor

Over: LITTLE SALT LICK CREEK

2.4 MI N. RED BOILING SPG, Macon, TN

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,352

NFA 872 (SA 5733)

Poor

Over: MIDDLE FORK FORKED DEER

3.2 MI SW JCT SR1&SR152, Madison, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,829

NFA A087

Poor

Over: BRANCH

IN CITY OF THREE WAY, Madison, TN

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 580

NFA A336

Poor

Over: BEAR CREEK

2.4 MI SW JCT SR5&SR197, Madison, TN

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 220

NFA A399

Poor

Over: BRANCH

2.9 MI NW JCT SR138&SR223, Madison, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 20

NFA A603

Poor

Over: ANDERSON BRANCH

IN THE CITY OF JACKSON, Madison, TN

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 810

FAS 152

Poor

Over: I40

1.5 MI.W.OF HENDERSON CO., Madison, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,127

FAP 15

Poor

Over: SR-15 / I-24

IN MONTEAGLE, Marion, TN

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,811

FAP 15

Poor

Over: SR-15 / I-24

IN MONTEAGLE, Marion, TN

Built 1959 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,811

FAS 247

Poor

Over: SNOW CREEK

2.0 M NE JCT SR7&SR247, Maury, TN

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 922

NFA B625

Poor

Over: BRANCH

4.5 N. WILLIAMSPORT., Maury, TN

Built 1956 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

FAP 12

Poor

Over: BRUSH CREEK

1.1 MI.N.OF CHEATHAM CO., Montgomery, TN

Built 1958 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,863

NFA A022

Poor

Over: SOUTH REELFOOT CREEK

2.2 MI NE JCT SR21&SR183, Obion, TN

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 150

NFA A008

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

MOUSETAIL LANDING RD., Perry, TN

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10

FAP 33 347920N

Poor

Over: OCOEE RIVER

NEAR BENTON CITY LIMITS, Polk, TN

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,437

NFA A386

Poor

Over: CLEAR CREEK

2MI EAST OF SR 29, Rhea, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 760

FAP 30

Poor

Over: TIGUES CREEK

2MI.E.OF BLEDSOE CO. LINE, Rhea, TN

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,674

FAU 1226 (SA 7310)

Poor

Over: EMORY RIVER

IN HARRIMAN - E OF US 27, Roane, TN

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,216

NFA A033

Poor

Over: STEWART CREEK

0.9 MI SW JCT I24&SR102, Rutherford, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,680

NFA A437

Poor

Over: WEST FORK STONES RIVER

2.3 MI NW JCT SR10&SR269, Rutherford, TN

Built 1975 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 260

NFA 801 (SA 7918)

Poor

Over: BRANCH

WOODSTOCK-CUBA RD, Shelby, TN

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 397

FAU 2810

Poor

Over: PLOUGH BLVD. NB. LANES

WINCHESTER RD. - MEM., Shelby, TN

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 22,230

NFA M340

Poor

Over: CHANNEL 3 DR / RIVERSIDE

CHANNEL 3 DR-MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1948 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 480

FAU 5280 663403U

Poor

Over: BNSF RAILROAD

LABELLE ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,516

FAU 2850

Poor

Over: I-240 & MADISON AVE

MADISON AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,468

FAU 57 299598G

Poor

Over: SR 23 CSX & CNIC RR

SR-57 OVER SR-23, Shelby, TN

Built 1928 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 33,396

FAP 401 (SR 24)

Poor

Over: HOGAN CREEK

IN SOUTH CARTAGE-TENN., Smith, TN

Built 1940 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,189

FAP 386

Poor

Over: SR386-LL / SR6 & RAMP F

4.7 M SW JCT SR174&SR258, Sumner, TN

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 59,055

FAS 41

Poor

Over: RONEY CREEK

.2 M N JCT SR41&SR25, Sumner, TN

Built 1947 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,780

NFA 1152

Poor

Over: BRANCH

1.7 M W JCT SR52&SR6, Sumner, TN

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 388

FAS 141

Poor

Over: LITTLE GOOSE CREEK

IN HARTSVILLE, Trousdale, TN

Built 1993 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,941

FAS 141

Poor

Over: OVERFLOW CUMBERLAND RIVE

.25 MI.S.OF HARTSVILLE, Trousdale, TN

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,129

NFA B435 244046N

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

JUST W OF SR381-SR67 JCT, Washington, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 700

NFA 1776 (SA 9101)

Poor

Over: SECOND CREEK

3.8 MI N JCT SR69&ALA. LN, Wayne, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 115

NFA 1786 (SA 9110)

Poor

Over: FLIPPO BRANCH

2.8 MI N JCT SR128&SR228, Wayne, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 368

I65

Poor

Over: BRANCH

.5 M S JCT SR248&I65, Williamson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 109,713

FAU 4855

Poor

Over: STONES CREEK

1.2 MI E JCT I40&SR171, Wilson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,431

NFA A648

Poor

Over: STONES CREEK

1.4 MI SE JCT I40&SR171, Wilson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 320

NFA B238

Poor

Over: STONES CREEK

0.9 MI NE JCT I40&SR171, Wilson, TN

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,290

FAU 5364 (SA 9506)

Poor

Over: BARTON CREEK

1.0 MI WEST OF LEBANON, Wilson, TN

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,354

FAP 26

Poor

Over: BARTONS CREEK

1.4 M W JCT SR10&SR26, Wilson, TN

Built 1963 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,563

FAU 171 349231B

Poor

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.07 M.NE.OF ST.RT.1, Davidson, TN

Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 23,312

FAU 2810

Poor

Over: WINCHESTER RD

PLOUGH BLVD, Shelby, TN

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 36,663

NFA F217

Poor

Over: FLETCHER CREEK

PATE RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1984 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 850

NEWFOUND GAP ROAD

Poor

Over: TWO MILE BRANCH

UST NORTH OF ENTRANCE TO, Sevier, TN

Built 1920 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,410

FAU 4365

Poor

Over: BRANCH

IN OAK RIDGE E- OF SR 62, Anderson, TN

Built 1970 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 1,304

NFA A153

Poor

Over: ISLAND CREEK

CATOOSA WMA, Morgan, TN

Built 1953 Load: 34.3 t ADT: 100

FAU 3556 350035R

Poor

Over: ABANDONED SPUR LINE

IN CHATTANOOGA, Hamilton, TN

Built 1959 Load: 34.7 t ADT: 16,893

FAU 2830

Poor

Over: JOHNS CREEK

WINCHESTER RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 36,821

Showing 20,301-20,350 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.