Total bridges
39
Public highway bridges in Ouray County
County profile · official public datasets
Ouray County, CO
39 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 43.6% rated Good, 53.8% Fair, 2.6% Poor.
- 39
- Public bridges
- 43.6%
- Good condition
- 2.6%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Ouray County pairs a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 31%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 2.6%
- Poor-condition share
- 39
- public highway bridges
- 1991
- avg year built
Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.
Ouray County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Ouray County ranks #20 of 64 Colorado counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2.6%). Ouray County, Colorado contains 39 public highway bridges. Roughly 43.6% are rated “Good,” 53.8% “Fair,” and 2.6% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.
Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.
Good condition
43.6%
17 of 39 rated 7-9
Fair condition
53.8%
21 of 39 rated 5-6
Poor condition
2.6%
1 of 39 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#20 of 64
Among Colorado counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 39 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 43.6% (17)
Fair 53.8% (21)
Poor 2.6% (1)
Ouray County's Poor-condition bridges carry 6 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2.6% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 6 crossings a day against 2,470 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.
Computed over the 39 of 39 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
7.7% of Ouray County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
3 of the 39 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 43.6% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.
Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
One structure carries 100% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
FARM ACCESS TO 550 over COW CREEK AR, built 1938, carries 6 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 1-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 6 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Ouray County's bridges were built
39 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1930s 2
1930–1939
2 bridges
- 1950s 1
1950–1959
1 bridges
- 1970s 2
1970–1979
2 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
11 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
9 bridges
- 2000s
2000–2009
8 bridges
- 2010s
2010–2019
6 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 11 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1991, 9 years newer than the Colorado average of 1982.
How Ouray County compares with Colorado's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Colorado counties nearest Ouray County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2.6% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1991 against a peer-group mean of 1980 is 11 years newer.
Showing the 5 closest of 63 Colorado counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 47 | 31.9% | 63.8% | 4.3% | 1983 |
| Archuleta County | 44 | 29.5% | 63.6% | 6.8% | 1976 |
| Saguache County | 41 | 48.8% | 43.9% | 7.3% | 1972 |
| Costilla County | 39 | 15.4% | 84.6% | 0% | 1989 |
| Ouray County (this page) | 39 | 43.6% | 53.8% | 2.6% | 1991 |
| Hinsdale County | 31 | 25.8% | 74.2% | 0% | 1979 |
Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Ouray County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year
Two NBI-derived peer sets for Ouray County, both outside Colorado so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside CO (39 bridges here).
- Edmonson County, KY · 39 bridges
- McCreary County, KY · 39 bridges
- Missaukee County, MI · 39 bridges
- Perquimans County, NC · 39 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside CO (1991 here).
- Baldwin County, AL · avg 1991 · 381 bridges
- Union County, NC · avg 1991 · 353 bridges
- Rock County, MN · avg 1991 · 265 bridges
- Alcorn County, MS · avg 1991 · 213 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (39)
County Road 26A
FairOver: Imogene Creek
2.1 Miles from CR26, Ouray, CO
Built 2010 Load: 6.2 t ADT: 9
WINDING FDR 855
FairOver: PORTLAND CREEK
.1MI S OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1958 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 224
US 550 ML
FairOver: CUTLER CREEK
3 MI N OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1938 Load: 24.8 t ADT: 4,800
BOX CANYON ROAD
FairOver: RED MOUNTAIN CREEK
EXIT ROAD FROM BOX CANYON, Ouray, CO
Built 1990 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 220
CR 906 (BUCKHORN)
FairOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
0.1 MI E OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 1982 Load: 32.5 t ADT: 402
COUNTY ROAD 24
FairOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
0.1 MI W OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 1986 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,014
OAK STREET
FairOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
IN CITY OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 445
Governor Basin Rd
FairOver: Sneffels Creek
2.4 MI Down CR26, Ouray, CO
Built 2007 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 120
COUNTY ROAD 17
FairOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
3.5 MI N OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1987 Load: 35.2 t ADT: 749
COUNTY RD 26 (361)
FairOver: RED MOUNTAIN CREEK
0.5 MI. S. OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1988 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 417
COUNTY ROAD 24
FairOver: DALLAS CREEK
4 MI W OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 2000 Load: 41.6 t ADT: 282
COUNTY ROAD 24
FairOver: PLEASANT VALLEY CREEK
4.2 MI W OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 2000 Load: 41.6 t ADT: 281
COUNTY ROAD 3A
FairOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
2.5 MI SE OF RIDGWAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1989 Load: 52.2 t ADT: 433
COUNTY ROAD 24
FairOver: DALLAS CREEK
2.1 MI W OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 2000 Load: 84.1 t ADT: 692
COUNTY ROAD 24A
FairOver: DALLAS CREEK
0.2 MI S OF SH 62, Ouray, CO
Built 2000 Load: 85.6 t ADT: 1,308
SH 62 ML
FairOver: DALLAS CREEK
4 MI W OF RIDGWAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1980 Load: 89.8 t ADT: 4,000
BOX CANYON ROAD
FairOver: RED MOUNTAIN CREEK
RD TO BOX CANYON PARK, Ouray, CO
Built 1988 Load: 94.2 t ADT: 233
NFSR 871
FairOver: DEXTER CREEJ2009
1.65 MI NE of SH550, Ouray, CO
Built 2010 Load: 97.2 t ADT: 25
US 550 ML
FairOver: WILD CAT CREEK
10 MI S OF MONTROSE, Ouray, CO
Built 1995 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 8,400
US 550 ML
FairOver: COW CREEK
7.7 MI N OF SH 62, Ouray, CO
Built 1979 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 8,300
COUNTY ROAD 361
FairOver: WEEHAWKEN CREEK
2.7 MI SW OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 2004 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 407
County Road 26A
GoodOver: Sneffels Creek
0.1 MI S. of CR26, Ouray, CO
Built 2010 Load: 4.6 t ADT: 9
US 550 ML
GoodOver: CHAFFEE GULCH
8.7 MI N OF JCT SH 62, Ouray, CO
Built 1975 Load: 24.8 t ADT: 8,300
US 550 ML
GoodOver: UNCOMPHAGRE RIVER
8 MI OF SH62-RIDGWAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1989 Load: 27.3 t ADT: 8,300
US 550 ML
GoodOver: WILDLIFE CROSSING
COLONA PASSING LANES, Ouray, CO
Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 8,300
COUNTY ROAD 24
GoodOver: DALLAS CREEK
3.2 MI W OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 1999 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 399
7TH AVE
GoodOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
IN CITY OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 959
CO RD NO. 26
GoodOver: SNEFFELS CREEK
4.7 MI SW OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 2001 Load: 36.2 t ADT: 108
US 550 ML
GoodOver: DEXTER CREEK
3.5 MI N. OF JCT SH 361 M, Ouray, CO
Built 1988 Load: 37.4 t ADT: 4,700
SH 62 ML
GoodOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
IN RIDGWAY, Ouray, CO
Built 2013 Load: 40.6 t ADT: 6,600
COUNTY ROAD 2
GoodOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
0.2 MI E OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 1990 Load: 48.2 t ADT: 32
COUNTY ROAD 8
GoodOver: COW CREEK
5.0 MI E OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 1987 Load: 48.6 t ADT: 164
COUNTY ROAD 31
GoodOver: RED MOUNTAIN CREEK
0.7 MI E US 550 at MP 83, Ouray, CO
Built 1992 Load: 48.8 t ADT: 26
US 550 ML
GoodOver: BEAR CREEK
1.5 Mi S of OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 2010 Load: 52.3 t ADT: 2,100
COUNTY ROAD 14A
GoodOver: DEXTER CREEK
2.8 MI N OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1999 Load: 56.7 t ADT: 66
COUNTY ROAD 8A
GoodOver: COW CREEK
0.4 MI EAST OF US 550, Ouray, CO
Built 2000 Load: 58.4 t ADT: 53
COUNTY ROAD 23
GoodOver: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER
4.3 MI NNW OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1997 Load: 65.5 t ADT: 1,226
COUNTY RD 26 (361)
GoodOver: CANYON CREEK
1.9 MI SW OF OURAY, Ouray, CO
Built 1995 Load: 65.5 t ADT: 640
FARM ACCESS TO 550
PoorOver: COW CREEK AR
7.5 MI NO.OF JCT SH 62 ML, Ouray, CO
Built 1938 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 6
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.