Nfa A797 over Elk River

Carter County, Tennessee · rated Fair in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory

United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled August 20, 2026

• Nfa A797 over Elk River in Carter County, Tennessee, is rated in fair condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of August 20, 2026).
• Its lowest-rated component is the superstructure, rated 6 (satisfactory condition) on the 0-9 scale.
• It was built in 1988, making it 37 years old at the 2025 inventory.
• It carries about 590 vehicles a day (traffic count year 2020).
• Its listed owner is the county highway agency.
• It is one of 86 of the 194 inventoried bridges in Carter County rated fair (44.3%); 27 (13.9%) are rated poor.
• Its traffic status in the 2025 inventory is open, no restriction (NBI item 41).
• Its condition class and component ratings are unchanged from the 2024 inventory.
• Its most recent inspection on record is dated August 2023, on a 24-month routine inspection cycle.
• A fair rating means the lowest-rated major component scores 5 or 6 on FHWA's 0-9 scale: some deterioration or minor section loss, but the structure is sound. It is the middle class, not a warning.

View this bridge on a map → (36.27363, -81.99162)

Component ratings

Bridge details

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 data as reported by the Tennessee department of transportation.

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Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.