HWY 10 W
Carrying HWY 10 W over NINEMILE SLIDE 026
3M W HUSON, Missoula, Montana
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
HWY 10 W in Missoula, Montana sits above 50% of rated Montana bridges on inventory load rating (30 t), while its 1947 build year is earlier than 94% of Missoula's recorded-year cohort (206 bridges).
HWY 10 W in Missoula, Montana is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1947, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 4. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor 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:L32166005+02001
PRE-1950 · TIMBER · LONG-SPAN-RUN · SUB-LED · LOCAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- TIMBER Wood or timber
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 15 spans
- SUB-LED Substructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-POOR Poor
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: HWY 10 W
The HWY 10 W bridge in Missoula, Montana carries HWY 10 W over NINEMILE SLIDE 026. It was built in 1947, making it 79 years old today. The structure is built primarily of wood or timber and spans 15 sections, stretching 114.3 meters (375 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 140 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Montana bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 5/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. At least one major component here scores 4 or below, which produces a Poor condition classification under FHWA's current reporting rules.
How HWY 10 W compares
Age against the county: built in 1947, earlier than 194 of Missoula's 206 bridges with a recorded construction year (94%), against a county median build year of 1971. 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).
HWY 10 W vs every rated Montana bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
30 Top 50% higher than 50% 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.
Missoula inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 206 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
- 1947
- Material
- Wood or Timber
- Number of Spans
- 15
- Structure Length
- 114.3 m (375 ft)
- Deck Width
- 8.9 m (29 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 140 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- L32166005+02001
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
- • At 4/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
HWY 10 W is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare HWY 10 W against other structures in Missoula 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 HWY 10 W?
HWY 10 W in Missoula, Montana has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 5/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is HWY 10 W inspected?
HWY 10 W'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 140 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. HWY 10 W is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for HWY 10 W?
HWY 10 W has an NBI inventory load rating of 29.9 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining HWY 10 W?
HWY 10 W is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is HWY 10 W and does age affect safety?
HWY 10 W was built in 1947, making it 79 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.