Total bridges
190
Public highway bridges in Lincoln County
County profile · official public datasets
Lincoln County, MT
190 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 38.4% rated Good, 46.8% Fair, 14.7% Poor.
- 190
- Public bridges
- 38.4%
- Good condition
- 14.7%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Lincoln County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.
- 51st
- of 56 on Poor share
- 14.7%
- Poor-condition share
- 190
- public highway bridges
- 1977
- 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.
Lincoln County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Lincoln County ranks #51 of 56 Montana counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 14.7%). Lincoln County, Montana contains 190 public highway bridges. Roughly 38.4% are rated “Good,” 46.8% “Fair,” and 14.7% “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
38.4%
73 of 190 rated 7-9
Fair condition
46.8%
89 of 190 rated 5-6
Poor condition
14.7%
28 of 190 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#51 of 56
Among Montana counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 190 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 38.4% (73)
Fair 46.8% (89)
Poor 14.7% (28)
Lincoln County's Poor-condition bridges carry 10,779 vehicle crossings a day
That is 11.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 14.7% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 385 crossings a day against 572 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 190 of 190 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
47.4% of Lincoln County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
90 of the 190 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 38.4% 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 51.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
US 2 over BIG CHERRY CREEK, built 1976, carries 5,592 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 28-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 10,779 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Lincoln County's bridges were built
190 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1910s 2
1910–1919
2 bridges
- 1920s 1
1920–1929
1 bridges
- 1930s 4
1930–1939
4 bridges
- 1940s 1
1940–1949
1 bridges
- 1950s
1950–1959
19 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
43 bridges
- 1970s
1970–1979
44 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
35 bridges
- 1990s
1990–1999
20 bridges
- 2000s 6
2000–2009
6 bridges
- 2010s 13
2010–2019
13 bridges
- 2020s 2
2020–2029
2 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 44 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 23.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1977) matches the Montana average (1977).
How Lincoln County compares with Montana's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Montana counties nearest Lincoln County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 14.7% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1977 against a peer-group mean of 1976 is in line with the group.
Showing the 5 closest of 55 Montana counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin County | 210 | 19% | 76.7% | 4.3% | 1977 |
| Missoula County | 206 | 33.5% | 58.7% | 7.8% | 1976 |
| Flathead County | 204 | 30.9% | 64.2% | 4.9% | 1983 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 200 | 58% | 36.5% | 5.5% | 1979 |
| Lincoln County (this page) | 190 | 38.4% | 46.8% | 14.7% | 1977 |
| Cascade County | 185 | 41.6% | 54.6% | 3.8% | 1965 |
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, both outside Montana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside MT (190 bridges here).
- Clinton County, IL · 190 bridges
- Wapello County, IA · 190 bridges
- Webster County, IA · 190 bridges
- Bienville County, LA · 190 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside MT (1977 here).
- San Diego County, CA · avg 1977 · 1,632 bridges
- King County, WA · avg 1977 · 1,238 bridges
- Riverside County, CA · avg 1977 · 1,117 bridges
- Shelby County, TN · avg 1977 · 1,077 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
All bridges (190)
KOOCANUSA BRIDGE
FairOver: KOOCANUSA RESERVOIR
LAKE KOOCANUSA, Lincoln, MT
Built 1971 ADT: 75
RD 867
FairOver: LEIGH CR
LEIGH CREEK, Lincoln, MT
Built 1968 ADT: 50
PIPE CR RD
FairOver: EF PIPE CR
NO DATA ENTERED, Lincoln, MT
Built 1994 ADT: 132
RD 36
FairOver: WOLF CR
WOLF CREEK MP 12.8, Lincoln, MT
Built 1969 ADT: 50
VUKONICH LN
FairOver: GRAVE CREEK 007
4M N FORTINE, Lincoln, MT
Built 1950 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100
ROOSEVELT PARKWAY
FairOver: KOOTENAI RIVER 070
E EDGE TROY, Lincoln, MT
Built 1912 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 100
MT 37 FH 57
FairOver: SUTTON CREEK
13M S REXFORD, Lincoln, MT
Built 1974 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 324
TOBACCO SIDING RD
FairOver: TOBACCO RIVER 146
6M SE EUREKA, Lincoln, MT
Built 1950 Load: 10.8 t ADT: 100
DOME MOUNTAIN AVE
FairOver: PARMENTER CREEK 107
SW EDGE LIBBY, Lincoln, MT
Built 1960 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 100
6035 SOLO JOE RD.
FairOver: E F YAAK
0.1 MILE FROM JCT WITH 92, Lincoln, MT
Built 1958 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 40
SINCLAIR CREEK RD
FairOver: SINCLAIR CREEK 126
2M NE EUREKA, Lincoln, MT
Built 1977 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 100
TOBACCO RD
FairOver: TOBACCO RIVER 144
SE EDGE EUREKA, Lincoln, MT
Built 1968 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,027
DEEP CREEK ROAD
FairOver: DEEP CR
DEEP CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1958 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 50
SINCLAIR CREEK RD
FairOver: SINCLAIR CREEK 127
2M NE EUREKA, Lincoln, MT
Built 1977 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100
US 2
FairOver: KOOTENAI RIVER-RR
2M NW TROY, Lincoln, MT
Built 1942 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,402
US 93 FH 12
FairOver: STILLWATER RIVER
STRYKER, Lincoln, MT
Built 1955 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 2,411
4626 STANLEY CR RD
FairOver: STANLEY CR
JUST PAST JCT WITH 4605, Lincoln, MT
Built 1963 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 99
472 BURNT DUTCH RD
FairOver: SOUTH FORK YAAK RIVER
JCT 472 & 68, Lincoln, MT
Built 1957 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 25
US 2
FairOver: FISHER RIVER
14M W HAPPY`S INN, Lincoln, MT
Built 1987 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,480
RD 231
FairOver: W FISHER CR
THUNDER MTN RANCH, Lincoln, MT
Built 1954 Load: 20.4 t ADT: 50
PINKHAM TENMILE RD
FairOver: PINKHAM CR
PINKHAM CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1992 Load: 20.7 t ADT: 50
USFS ROAD 039
FairOver: YAAK RIVER 039
15M N TROY, Lincoln, MT
Built 1934 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 22
LAKE CREEK RD
FairOver: KEELER CREEK 087
10M S TROY, Lincoln, MT
Built 1974 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 100
WEST FORTINE ROAD
FairOver: FORTINE CR
FORTINE CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1963 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 50
RD 4791
FairOver: GRANITE CR
LOWER GRANITE, Lincoln, MT
Built 1964 Load: 21.7 t ADT: 50
SILVER BUTTE RD
FairOver: EAST FISHER CREEK 076
10M W HAPPY`S INN, Lincoln, MT
Built 1975 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 100
HAMMER CUTOFF RD
FairOver: LIBBY CREEK
9M S LIBBY, Lincoln, MT
Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 283
473 KEELER/RATTLE
FairOver: WEST FORK KEELER CREEK
WEST FORK KEELER CREEK, Lincoln, MT
Built 1957 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50
RD 231
FairOver: W FISHER RIVER
1 MI E LAKE CR CAMPGROUND, Lincoln, MT
Built 1982 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50
RD 763
FairOver: WOLF CR
.2 MI S WOLF CR JCT, Lincoln, MT
Built 1978 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 40
LOON LAKE RD
FairOver: FORTINE CREEK 131
W TREGO, Lincoln, MT
Built 1981 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 100
GUT CREEK RD
FairOver: PINKHAM CR
PINKHAM CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1968 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 50
FROZEN LAKE ROAD
FairOver: WEASEL CR
WEASEL CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1957 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 50
331 RABBIT OBRIEN
FairOver: OBRIEN CR
BETWEEN JCTS W/4445 LOOP, Lincoln, MT
Built 1980 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 40
RD 763
FairOver: FISHER RIV & RR OVERPASS
FISHER RIVER AT JENNINGS, Lincoln, MT
Built 1968 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50
LAKE CREEK RD
FairOver: FORTINE CREEK 141
7M S TREGO, Lincoln, MT
Built 1969 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 726
US 2
FairOver: SWAMP CREEK
11M S LIBBY, Lincoln, MT
Built 2013 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,597
STAHL CREEK ROAD
FairOver: STAHL CR
STAHL CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1966 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50
S.FK.STAHL CR RD
FairOver: STAHL CR
STAHL CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1966 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50
5900 JUNGLE CR.RD.
FairOver: WEST FORK YAAK RIVER
JUST PAST JCT WITH 338, Lincoln, MT
Built 1980 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 10
STEEP CREEK ROAD
FairOver: BIG CREEK
BIG CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1963 Load: 25.6 t ADT: 40
RD 763
FairOver: FISHER RIVER
FISHER RIVER, Lincoln, MT
Built 1977 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 40
RD 4727
FairOver: CEDAR CREEK
CEDAR CREEK TRAIL HEAD, Lincoln, MT
Built 1980 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 50
SWAMP CREEK ROAD
FairOver: SWAMP CREEK
24M NW HAPPY`S INN, Lincoln, MT
Built 1936 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 100
RD 472
FairOver: YAAK RIVER
YAAK RIVER, Lincoln, MT
Built 1954 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 50
FS ROUTE NO. 871
FairOver: AMERICAN CREEK
AMERICAN CREEK, Lincoln, MT
Built 1955 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 50
RD 6748
FairOver: LAKE CR
SILVER DOLLAR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1962 Load: 28.2 t ADT: 50
RD 231
FairOver: RAMSEY CR
LIBBY CR., Lincoln, MT
Built 1965 Load: 28.5 t ADT: 50
W KOOTENAI RD
FairOver: YOUNG CREEK 139
10M NW REXFORD, Lincoln, MT
Built 1974 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 100
STEEP CR ROAD
FairOver: S F BIG CR
SF BIG CR, Lincoln, MT
Built 1979 Load: 30.1 t ADT: 50
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.