ROAD 261
Carrying ROAD 261 over BAD ROUTE CREEK 044
21M SW GLENDIVE, Dawson, Montana
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
ROAD 261 in Dawson, Montana sits above 12% of rated Montana bridges on inventory load rating (19 t), while its 1921 build year is earlier than 97% of Dawson's recorded-year cohort (109 bridges).
ROAD 261 in Dawson, Montana is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1921, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 5. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair result describes the weakest reported component rather than the structure as a whole. No NBI category is a closure decision or a live crossing-safety verdict.
NBI record plate
Structure MT:L11109020+03001
PRE-1950 · CONCRETE · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · TRACE-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- CONCRETE Concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 6 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- TRACE-ADT Trace ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Bridge Snapshot: ROAD 261
The ROAD 261 bridge in Dawson, Montana carries ROAD 261 over BAD ROUTE CREEK 044. It was built in 1921, making it 105 years old today. The structure is built primarily of concrete and spans 6 sections, stretching 29.9 meters (98 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 21 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Montana bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How ROAD 261 compares
Age against the county: built in 1921, earlier than 106 of Dawson's 109 bridges with a recorded construction year (97%), against a county median build year of 1970. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Montana bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (5,144 of 5,224 rated).
ROAD 261 vs every rated Montana bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
19 Top 88% higher than 12% of 5,144 bridges
rated Montana bridges, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more bridges. 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 · August 2026
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Dawson inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 109 bridges in this county. Orthogonal to this structure's component profile above: a county catalog share, not a live crossing-safety verdict.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1921
- Material
- Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 6
- Structure Length
- 29.9 m (98 ft)
- Deck Width
- 7.1 m (23 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 21 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- L11109020+03001
Condition Analysis
- • At 5/9, the deck (driving surface) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • At 5/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether ROAD 261 is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare ROAD 261 against other structures in Dawson and across Montana. Montana bridges
- Noticed visible damage or a safety concern? Report it to the agency that owns the bridge, or call 911 in an emergency. How to report a bridge
Condition codes come straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory and are not a real-time safety judgment. Only the owning agency, a state DOT, county, or other owner, can post, restrict, or close a bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the condition ratings mean for ROAD 261?
ROAD 261 in Dawson, Montana has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is ROAD 261 inspected?
ROAD 261's responsible agency sets its routine interval under FHWA's risk-based inspection rules; this page does not expose the scheduled interval. It carries about 21 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ROAD 261 is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for ROAD 261?
ROAD 261 has an NBI inventory load rating of 19.0 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ROAD 261?
ROAD 261 is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is ROAD 261 and does age affect safety?
ROAD 261 was built in 1921, making it 105 years old.
Disclaimer: Bridge condition data is from the FHWA NBI and reflects the last reported inspection. A Poor condition rating is not a live declaration that a bridge is closed or unsafe for travel. For current closure, posting, or safety information, contact the responsible transportation agency.
Share this inspection record
Send this source-bounded record or download its data card. An NBI condition category is not a closure or live crossing-safety verdict.
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Component ratings, ADT, and condition category on this page are copied from the NBI record for this structure; 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.