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

FAU 1952

Fair

Over: BRANCH

DODSON CHAPEL RD-HERMITAG, Davidson, TN

Built 1999 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 8,057

NFA 998 (SA 1903)

Fair

Over: BEECH CREEK

0.6 MI SOUTH JCT WITH I40, Davidson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,119

FAP 1

Fair

Over: EAST FORK BUFFALO CREEK

.1 M SE JCT SR24&SR1, Davidson, TN

Built 1926 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 4,645

FAU 3241

Fair

Over: JAMES ROBERTSON PKWY

CHARLOTTEAVE/JAMES RDB PK, Davidson, TN

Built 1958 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 22,906

FAU 112

Fair

Over: BRANCH

2.9 M N JCT SR12&SR112, Davidson, TN

Built 1934 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 8,609

NFA A389

Fair

Over: ARMS CREEK

1.1 MI SE JCT SR20&SR202, Decatur, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 130

NFA A555

Fair

Over: SR 26

IN THE CITY OF SMITHVILLE, DeKalb, TN

Built 1951 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,061

FAS 96

Fair

Over: JORDAN BRANCH

.5 MILE SOUTH OF SR 26, DeKalb, TN

Built 1982 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,809

FAS 46

Fair

Over: BRANCH

AT JEWEL CAVE ENTRANCE, Dickson, TN

Built 1956 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,536

NFA A059

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

1 M. S. SR-49., Dickson, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 60

NFA A113

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1 M. N. SR49., Dickson, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 140

NFA 965 (SA 2202)

Fair

Over: GARNERS CREEK

0.33 N. HICKMAN CO. LINE, Dickson, TN

Built 1957 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 707

FAS 46

Fair

Over: EAST FORK YELLOW CREEK

4.53 MI.S. OF HOUSTON CO., Dickson, TN

Built 1956 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 2,536

NFA 957 (SA 2219)

Fair

Over: NAILS BRANCH

.6 M. NW. S. CORNER OF CO, Dickson, TN

Built 1949 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,420

FAP 1

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE BRANCH

.4 MI.W.OF MONTGOMERY BEL, Dickson, TN

Built 1940 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 7,241

FAP 48

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.05MI.N.OF CHARLOTTE, Dickson, TN

Built 1931 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 4,881

FAU 211

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.6 M NE JCT SR3 &SR211, Dyer, TN

Built 1923 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,117

NFA A423

Fair

Over: NASH CREEK

0.5 MI E OF SR20, Dyer, TN

Built 1998 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 70

I155

Fair

Over: MISSISSIPPI RIVER

S 11 T 17 N R 13 E, Dyer, TN

Built 1975 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 11,561

NFA 1495 (SA 2304)

Fair

Over: S. FK. FORKED DEER RIVER

0.5 MI W OF SR3, Dyer, TN

Built 1956 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,053

FAP 57 732114J

Fair

Over: SOUTHERN RAILWAY

WEST OF ROSSVILLE, Fayette, TN

Built 1971 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 8,749

NFA A075

Fair

Over: DELK CREEK

5MI EAST OF US 127, Fentress, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 290

FAS 56

Fair

Over: CROW CREEK

1.4 MI.N.OF SHERWOOD, Franklin, TN

Built 1936 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 487

FAP 43 299193E

Fair

Over: I.C.G. RAILROAD

2.8 MI.S.OF MILAN, Gibson, TN

Built 1969 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 13,471

FAS 105

Fair

Over: RUTHERFORD FK.OBION RIVE

8.32 MI.E. JCT. FAS 8029, Gibson, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,435

NFA 1894 (SA 2823)

Fair

Over: SINKING CREEK

3 M S OF ELKTON, Giles, TN

Built 1950 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 830

NFA 1900 (SA 2821)

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

6 M N OF ELKTON, Giles, TN

Built 1963 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 92

NFA A398

Fair

Over: E. FORK SHANNON BRANCH

8.5 M SW OF PULASKI, Giles, TN

Built 1952 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 90

FAS 245

Fair

Over: BROWNLOW CREEK

2.2 MI.NW.OF CAMPBELLSVIL, Giles, TN

Built 1959 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 711

FAP 7

Fair

Over: BEATY BRANCH

IN ELKTON CITY LIMITS, Giles, TN

Built 1924 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,221

FAP 7

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW

4.9 MI.NW.OF ELKTON, Giles, TN

Built 1920 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 4,416

FAP 15

Fair

Over: BRADSHAW CR & CSX RR

.8 M E OF I65, Giles, TN

Built 1993 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,230

NFA A050

Fair

Over: FLAT CREEK

EAST OF SR131, Grainger, TN

Built 1986 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

NFA A404

Fair

Over: RICHLAND CREEK

EAST OF SR1, Grainger, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 200

NFA A554

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

N OF SR107-BTN SR351 JCTS, Greene, TN

Built 1975 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 370

NFA A576

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

3.2 M SW OF SR107 @ CO LN, Greene, TN

Built 1986 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 180

FAS 2

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

2.4 MI.NORTH OF MONTEAGLE, Grundy, TN

Built 1926 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,171

NFA 2461 (SA 3207)

Fair

Over: NOLICHUCKY RIVER

1 M N OF I81, Hamblen, TN

Built 1990 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 673

FAS 344

Fair

Over: FALL CREEK

1MI NORTH OF SR24, Hamblen, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,580

FAS 340 730279A

Fair

Over: SOU RWY & BENT CREEK

BTWN I81 & GREENE CO., Hamblen, TN

Built 1984 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,324

FAP 34

Fair

Over: SR 32 BP

IN MORRISTOWN, Hamblen, TN

Built 1977 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 16,691

NFA D456

Fair

Over: SOUTH CHICKAMAUGA CREEK

IN CHATTANOOGA, Hamilton, TN

Built 1998 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 890

NFA D502

Fair

Over: LITTLE SODDY CREEK

IN CITY OF SODDY-DAISY, Hamilton, TN

Built 1935 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 1,570

NFA D798

Fair

Over: BRANCH

3 MI EAST OF US 27, Hamilton, TN

Built 1986 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 150

FAU 8 NBL

Fair

Over: I75

1 MI. N OF GA STATE LINE, Hamilton, TN

Built 1959 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 27,638

I124 RP

Fair

Over: I124 RP TO I24 W/CSX RR

.01 M NORTH OF I24, Hamilton, TN

Built 1990 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 65,235

FAU 3600

Fair

Over: CHICKAMAUGA CREEK

NEAR LOVEALL FIELD, Hamilton, TN

Built 1987 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 3,670

FAP 29

Fair

Over: SR 29 / NFA C176

1.39 MI. S OF SR-153 JCT., Hamilton, TN

Built 1988 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 22,432

FAP 58

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.59 MI. FROM MEIGS CO., Hamilton, TN

Built 1938 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 5,507

NFA A092

Fair

Over: BRANCH (CSTP&FWMA)

IN CHICKSAW ST PK, Hardeman, TN

Built 1948 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 50

Showing 4,301-4,350 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.