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 J125

Fair

Over: BRANCH

N FRONT ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1915 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,713

FAU 5031

Fair

Over: BRANCH

GOODLETT RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,306

FAU 2814

Fair

Over: CHERRY BAYOU

PERKINS RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,242

FAU 1458

Fair

Over: BRANCH

MACON RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,997

NFA 1456 (SA 7909)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WALNUT GROVE RD - SHELBY, Shelby, TN

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 34,073

FAU 2806

Fair

Over: DITCH

N WATKINS ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 11,070

FAU 4187

Fair

Over: HARRISON CREEK

GRAHAM ST - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,861

FAU 2826

Fair

Over: BRANCH

PARK AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 31,152

FAU 2827

Fair

Over: DITCH

MACON RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,518

FAU 2828

Fair

Over: NONCONNAH CREEK

RIDGEWAY RD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 34,920

FAU 2867

Fair

Over: BLACK BAYOU

RHODES AVE - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 18,385

NFA K641

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

1.26 MI. N OF SR-1 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,132

NFA K641

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

0.37 MI. N OF SR-1 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,132

NFA 5459 (SA 7917)

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK CANAL

FITE RD - SHELBY CO, Shelby, TN

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 952

FAP 1 348551X

Fair

Over: 0K371 05250 & RR

0.6 MI E OF SR57 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 30,304

FAP 1

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.1 MI. E OF SR-385 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1925 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,584

FAU 3

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.1 M N OF SR175, Shelby, TN

Built 1934 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 53,694

FAU 3

Fair

Over: PAVED DITCH

1 MI N OF I-240S JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 15,953

FAU 3

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

.06 FM SR SR14, Shelby, TN

Built 1934 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,316

FAP 3

Fair

Over: BRANCH

SR-3 & SR-388 JCT, Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 28,110

FAP 14

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.1 M FM SHELBY-TIPTON CL, Shelby, TN

Built 1952 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,621

FAP 57

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.89 MI. W OF SR-86 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 26,379

NFA K641

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.9 MI. N OF SR-1 JCT., Shelby, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,132

NFA A174

Fair

Over: HICKMAN CREEK

2.1 MI NE JCT SR53&DEKALB, Smith, TN

Built 1925 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

NFA A233

Fair

Over: PLUNKETT CREEK

3.7 MI SW JCT SR25&SR80, Smith, TN

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 70

NFA A389

Fair

Over: DEFEATED CREEK

2.4 MI NE JCT SR85&SR263, Smith, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 750

NFA 1087 (SA 8022)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.0 MI SE JCT SR80&MACON, Smith, TN

Built 1945 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 319

NFA 1089 (SA 8020)

Fair

Over: LITTLE PEYTONS CREEK

2.8 MI SW JCT SR80&MACON, Smith, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 167

NFA A184

Fair

Over: DICKS FORK CREEK

NORTH SIDE OF INDIANMOUND, Stewart, TN

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 230

NFA A380

Fair

Over: TERRAPIN RUN BRANCH

4MI.S-W OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1978 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 90

NFA A379

Fair

Over: STANDING ROCK CREEK

1.5MI.W. OF MULBERRY HILL, Stewart, TN

Built 1929 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

NFA 943 (SA 8101)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.4 MI.EAST OF BENTON CO., Stewart, TN

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 173

NFA 945 (SA 8106)

Fair

Over: MORGAN BRANCH

1 MI.S-E OF BUMPUS MILLS, Stewart, TN

Built 1972 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 613

NFA 1793 (SA 8102)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3MI.S-E OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 739

NFA 1793 (SA 8102)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3MI.SOUTH OF DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 739

NFA 834 (SA 8109)

Fair

Over: CUB CREEK

3MI.NO.OF SR76;NO.OFATKIN, Stewart, TN

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 575

NFA 834 (SA 8109)

Fair

Over: LEWIS BRANCH

3MI.N.OF SR76;N.OF ATKINS, Stewart, TN

Built 1958 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 575

FAP 76

Fair

Over: CUMBERLAND RIVER

IN DOVER, Stewart, TN

Built 1987 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,317

FAS 347

Fair

Over: WALKER FORK CREEK

2.4 M. 0F HAWKINS CO., Sullivan, TN

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,243

FAS 347

Fair

Over: WALKER FORK CREEK

IN SW CORNER OF COUNTY, Sullivan, TN

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,243

NFA 2656 (SA 8216)

Fair

Over: BOON LK SO FK HOLSTON RV

W OF SR34-ENTERPRISE RD, Sullivan, TN

Built 1953 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 786

FAU 3918

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

BROAD ST JUST W OF LIMITS, Sullivan, TN

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,463

FAU 4429

Fair

Over: FALL CREEK

2+ M S OF SR126, Sullivan, TN

Built 1980 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,881

NFA 2599

Fair

Over: MUDDY CREEK

2.5 M E OF AIRPORT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,927

NFA A606

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

IN CITY OF BRISTOL, Sullivan, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 610

NFA A868

Fair

Over: DEIDLMAN CREEK

PINEY RD-E OF SR44, Sullivan, TN

Built 1984 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 115

NFA B296

Fair

Over: KINDRICK CREEK

NW OF I81-I181 JCT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 250

NFA B315

Fair

Over: KENDRICK CREEK

SUMMERVILLE RD-S OFF US23, Sullivan, TN

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 461

NFA A305

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1.2 M W OF SR34-SR37 JCT., Sullivan, TN

Built 1971 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 250

NFA A004 (SA 8217)

Fair

Over: BOONE LAKE

ON WASH CO LI-W OF US11E, Sullivan, TN

Built 1952 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,930

Showing 2,951-3,000 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.