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 108

Fair

Over: BRANCH

NEAR MARVIN CHAPEL, Grundy, TN

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 963

FAS 150

Fair

Over: LITTLE FIERY GIZZARD CR

IN TRACY CITY LIMITS, Grundy, TN

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,536

FAS 150

Fair

Over: GIZZARD CREEK

I MILE N. OF TRACY CITY, Grundy, TN

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,536

FAU 4318

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

.1 M S OF SOU RWY, Hamblen, TN

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,892

NFA A545

Fair

Over: LONG CREEK

2.4MI SOUTHEAST OF I81, Hamblen, TN

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 160

I81

Fair

Over: NFA B207-LOWLAND RD

4.16M.FROM JEFFERSON CO.L, Hamblen, TN

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 32,367

FAP 32

Fair

Over: SR 32 / 3836 & SOU RWY

IN CITY OF MORRISTOWN, Hamblen, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 24,163

FAU 3836

Fair

Over: LIBERTY ST (FAU 3838)

1. M W OF MORRISTOWN, Hamblen, TN

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 15,030

FAP 160

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

5 M SW OF JCT SR32&SR160, Hamblen, TN

Built 1992 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20,599

NFA D940

Fair

Over: JOHNSON BRANCH

.1 MI N OF GA-TN STATE LN, Hamilton, TN

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,633

NFA 2219 (SA 3315)

Fair

Over: BIG SODDY CREEK

2 MI WEST OF US 27, Hamilton, TN

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 244

NFA 05709

Fair

Over: HODGETOWN BRANCH

.3 MI EAST OF US 27, Hamilton, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 661

NFA A783

Fair

Over: CITICO CREEK

IN CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, Hamilton, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,120

NFA B233

Fair

Over: BRANCH

IN CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, Hamilton, TN

Built 1925 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 230

NFA B889

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

IN CITY OF EAST RIDGE, Hamilton, TN

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,520

NFA E073

Fair

Over: WOLFTEVER CREEK

.2 MI SOUTH OF I75, Hamilton, TN

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 240

FAU 3580

Fair

Over: BRANCH

NEAR LEE HWY JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 24,904

FAU 2

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

0.82 MI.E OF MARION CO., Hamilton, TN

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,282

FAS 317

Fair

Over: POE BRANCH

1.04 MI W OF I-75 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 17,997

FAU 8

Fair

Over: SHOAL CREEK

2.44 MI. N OF SR-27 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,868

FAU 58 350112N

Fair

Over: CSX RAILROAD

1.0 MI. S OF I-24 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1920 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,642

FAP 153

Fair

Over: HICKORY VALLEY ROAD

0.44 MI. N OF I-75 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 72,283

FAP 31

Fair

Over: STONEY FORK CREEK

3.70 MI.N. JCT. FAS 2349, Hancock, TN

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,675

FAP 33

Fair

Over: GREASY ROCK CREEK

11.73 MI.W. CLAIBORNE CO., Hancock, TN

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,055

NFA 1611 (SA 3502)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

SAULSBURY MISSI STATE LI, Hardeman, TN

Built 1983 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 265

NFA A066

Fair

Over: PUGH CREEK

3.5 MI NW OF CHICKASAW PK, Hardeman, TN

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 170

NFA A183

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.5 MI E OF BOLIVAR, Hardeman, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

FAS 125

Fair

Over: GAYLOR CREEK

2.2 MI.SW.OF SILERTON, Hardeman, TN

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 237

FAP 18

Fair

Over: MAY CREEK

4.2 MI.E.OF FAYETTE CO., Hardeman, TN

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,366

FAP 18

Fair

Over: BRANCH

IN HICKORY VALLEY TN., Hardeman, TN

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,530

FAP 57 732063B

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

IN POCAHONTAS, Hardeman, TN

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,737

FAP 57

Fair

Over: HATCHIE RIVER

EAST OF POCAHONTAS, Hardeman, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,737

FAP 125

Fair

Over: N.COLONEL CREEK

1.85 MI.S.OF MIDDLETON, Hardeman, TN

Built 1948 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,763

FAS 125

Fair

Over: BRANCH

S. OF CHICKASAW PARK, Hardeman, TN

Built 1991 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 237

FAS 138

Fair

Over: DRY BRANCH

.2 MI.S.OF CLOVERPORT, Hardeman, TN

Built 1985 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 709

NFA A081 (SA 3610)

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

HURRICANE CHURCH RD, Hardin, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 110

NFA A100

Fair

Over: MILES CREEK

ALLEN RD NEAR SALTILLO, Hardin, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 40

NFA A144

Fair

Over: SHORT CREEK

HASSELL RD N SR 128, Hardin, TN

Built 1945 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

NFA A155

Fair

Over: SMITH FORK

SMITH FORK RD N SR 15, Hardin, TN

Built 1978 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 40

NFA A167

Fair

Over: BOONE CREEK

KELLY RD S SR 15, Hardin, TN

Built 1993 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 90

NFA A194

Fair

Over: CHOATE CREEK

OLD CO. HOME RD S SR203, Hardin, TN

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 320

NFA A240 (SA 3624)

Fair

Over: HOLLAND CREEK

WALNUT GROVE RD SW SR 69, Hardin, TN

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 320

NFA A259

Fair

Over: HOLLAND CREEK

FOX HOLLOW RD SW SR 69, Hardin, TN

Built 1992 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 140

NFA A293

Fair

Over: BRANCH

SUNSET CIR RD W SR 128, Hardin, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 60

NFA A307

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

OLD GILLIS MILL RD SR 203, Hardin, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 130

NFA A446

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

OLD HIGHWAY 64 N SR 15, Hardin, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10

NFA A187

Fair

Over: GERMANY BRANCH

BUD WILKERSON RD N SR 203, Hardin, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

FAS 346

Fair

Over: ALEXANDER CREEK

N. OF SR1-W. OF MT CARMEL, Hawkins, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,682

FAS 346 730147P

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

NEAR MOUNT CARMEL, Hawkins, TN

Built 1980 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,153

FAS 346

Fair

Over: STONY POINT CREEK

.4 M S OF PHIPPS BEND RD, Hawkins, TN

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,688

Showing 2,301-2,350 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.