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

FAP 50

Fair

Over: PAMPLINS BRANCH

2 M NE JCT SR15&SR50, Lincoln, TN

Built 1957 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 4,934

FAP 73

Fair

Over: SR 73 RL / I75

2 M NW OF LENIOR CITY, Loudon, TN

Built 1962 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 16,277

NFA 2319 (SA 5407)

Fair

Over: OOSTANAULA CREEK

2MI EAST OF US11, McMinn, TN

Built 1996 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 165

FAP 30

Fair

Over: CANE CREEK

1 MILE SOUTH OF ETOWAH, McMinn, TN

Built 2005 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 7,421

FAP 15

Fair

Over: LITTLE HATCHIE CREEK

5.5 MI.WEST OF SELMER, McNairy, TN

Built 1987 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 2,698

FAP 15

Fair

Over: LITTLE HATCHIE CREEK

5.5 MI.WEST OF SELMER, McNairy, TN

Built 1987 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 2,698

NFA 1409 (SA 5736)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.6 MI SE JCT SR1&SR20, Madison, TN

Built 1981 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 814

NFA 1656 (SA 5729)

Fair

Over: MATTHEWS BRANCH

E. OF ADAIR, Madison, TN

Built 1992 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 2,403

NFA A097

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.2 MI NW JCT SR5&SR43, Madison, TN

Built 2000 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 60

NFA A244

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

1.7 MI NW JCT SR1&SR198, Madison, TN

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 290

NFA A430

Fair

Over: HART CREEK

6.8 MI SW JCT SR5&SR18, Madison, TN

Built 2008 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 200

FAU 3053

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.7 MI NW JCT I40&SR1, Madison, TN

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 6,965

NFA B211

Fair

Over: CYPRESS CREEK

4.1 MI NE JCT SR1&SR138, Madison, TN

Built 2002 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 20

NFA B211

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4.2 MI NE JCT SR1&SR138, Madison, TN

Built 2002 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 20

NFA B212

Fair

Over: ADAIR CREEK

4.1 MI NW JCT I40&SR20, Madison, TN

Built 1990 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 270

NFA B214

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3.9 MI NE JCT SR5&SR43, Madison, TN

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 130

NFA 879 (SA 5730)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.5 MI SW JCT SR5&SR43, Madison, TN

Built 2011 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,389

NFA 1399 (SA 5726)

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

2.0 MI S JCT SR20&CROCKET, Madison, TN

Built 1960 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 524

NFA A512

Fair

Over: CAVE COVE BRANCH

4.9 MI NE JCT I24&SR2, Marion, TN

Built 1946 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 110

FAS 156

Fair

Over: SR-156 / I-24

5.2 MI.E.OF NEW HOPE, Marion, TN

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,419

FAS 2

Fair

Over: GILLIAM CREEK

1 MI S OF I24, Marion, TN

Built 1928 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 656

I65

Fair

Over: I65 RL / BLUE CR RD

3 M N GILES CO LINE, Marshall, TN

Built 1964 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 30,471

NFA A076

Fair

Over: BRANCH

5 M. W. SPRING HILL, Maury, TN

Built 1975 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 580

NFA A358

Fair

Over: BRANCH

4 M. S. MT. PLEASANT., Maury, TN

Built 1964 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 140

FAP 50

Fair

Over: DUCK RIVER

0.14 MI.S.E.JCT FAS 6254, Maury, TN

Built 1951 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 3,012

FAP 99

Fair

Over: CURRY BRANCH

1.27 MI.E. JCT. FAS 6199, Maury, TN

Built 1948 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 4,055

NFA 1241 (SA 6214)

Fair

Over: BAT CREEK

N OF MADISONVILLE, Monroe, TN

Built 1941 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,557

FAP 12

Fair

Over: RED RIVER

IN CLARKSVILLE, Montgomery, TN

Built 1956 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 44,401

FAS 13

Fair

Over: BIG EAST FORK CREEK

13.2 MI SW OF CLARKSVILLE, Montgomery, TN

Built 1930 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 695

FAS 129

Fair

Over: MULBERRY CREEK

.7 MI.N.OF LINCOLN CO., Moore, TN

Built 1994 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 668

NFA 2394 (SA 6512)

Fair

Over: BONE CAMP CREEK

3 M NW OF SUNBRIGHT, Morgan, TN

Built 1941 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 466

FAP 29

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2 MI.N.OF WARTBURG, Morgan, TN

Built 1928 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 5,413

NFA A070

Fair

Over: SOUTH REELFOOT CREEK

1.9 MI SE JCT SR22&SR157, Obion, TN

Built 2005 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 110

NFA 1437 (SA 6604)

Fair

Over: ZION CREEK

3.5 MI E OF LAKE CO., Obion, TN

Built 1992 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 475

NFA 1536 (SA 6619)

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

4.4 MI NE JCT SR3&SR21, Obion, TN

Built 2001 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 191

FAS 163 347883N

Fair

Over: CSX RAILROAD

NW.OF DELANO & WETMORE, Polk, TN

Built 1957 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,862

FAU 5416

Fair

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

1 MI N OF DAYTON, Rhea, TN

Built 1991 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 2,909

I40 RT LN

Fair

Over: SR 29

1.7 M SE JCT I40&SR61, Roane, TN

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 36,375

NFA 1055 (SA 7525)

Fair

Over: OVERALL CREEK

2.8 MI NW JCT I24&SR96, Rutherford, TN

Built 1970 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 6,016

FAP 1

Fair

Over: STONES RIVER

.2 M SW JCT SR1&SR268, Rutherford, TN

Built 1950 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 25,759

FAS 2

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

8.1 SE JCT SR102&SR99, Rutherford, TN

Built 1937 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 4,585

NFA A508

Fair

Over: PAINT ROCK CREEK

JUST NW OF SR63-SR297 JCT, Scott, TN

Built 1930 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 50

FAP 28

Fair

Over: BIG BRUSH CREEK

0.84 MI. N OF SR111 JCT., Sequatchie, TN

Built 1940 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 5,167

FAU 4032

Fair

Over: VAUGHN RD.

SAM COOPER BLVD - MEMPHIS, Shelby, TN

Built 1969 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 53,975

I-240SB

Fair

Over: I-240 EB. / SR-4

I-240SB OVER SR-4, Shelby, TN

Built 1968 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 82,917

FAP 1

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

2.1 M W OF SR205, Shelby, TN

Built 1926 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 17,719

I40

Fair

Over: MULHERRIN CRK.&NEW MID.R

IN SMITH CO., Smith, TN

Built 1963 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 45,338

NFA A284

Fair

Over: BIG ELK CREEK

N.OF STEWART STATE FOREST, Stewart, TN

Built 1978 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 20

NFA 2658 (SA 8218)

Fair

Over: BRANCH

WEAVER BR. RD-W OF SR34, Sullivan, TN

Built 1965 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 437

I26 RT LN

Fair

Over: HOLSTON RI.&CITY STREETS

IN KINGSPORT, Sullivan, TN

Built 1981 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 25,622

Showing 4,101-4,150 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.