County profile · official public datasets

Richland County, MT

97 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 28.9% rated Good, 68% Fair, 3.1% Poor.

97
Public bridges
28.9%
Good condition
3.1%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Richland County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

Top 20%
lowest Poor share in state
3.1%
Poor-condition share
97
public highway bridges
1988
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.

Richland County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Richland County ranks #11 of 56 Montana counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 3.1%). Richland County, Montana contains 97 public highway bridges. Roughly 28.9% are rated “Good,” 68% “Fair,” and 3.1% “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.

Total bridges

97

Public highway bridges in Richland County

Good condition

28.9%

28 of 97 rated 7-9

Fair condition

68%

66 of 97 rated 5-6

Poor condition

3.1%

3 of 97 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#11 of 56

Among Montana counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 97 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
28.9% (28)
Fair
68% (66)
Poor
3.1% (3)

Richland County's Poor-condition bridges carry 5,289 vehicle crossings a day

That is 7.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 3.1% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry more traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,763 crossings a day against 366 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 97 of 97 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

19.6% of Richland County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

19 of the 97 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 28.9% 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 52.3% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

S 16 over CRANE CREEK, built 1957, carries 2,766 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 3-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 5,289 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Richland County's bridges were built

97 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 28 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.9% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1988, 11 years newer than the Montana average of 1977.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Richland County compares with Montana's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Montana counties nearest Richland County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 3.1% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1988 against a peer-group mean of 1975 is 13 years newer.

Showing the 5 closest of 55 Montana counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Richland County and the 5 Montana counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Blaine County 102 9.8%
Phillips County 101 16.8%
Madison County 97 11.3%
Richland County (this page) 97 3.1%
Pondera County 96 4.2%
Sweet Grass County 94 5.3%

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 Richland 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 Richland County, both outside Montana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside MT (97 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside MT (1988 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 97 Good 28 Fair 66 Poor 3

Fair-condition bridges (66)

COUNTY ROAD 335

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 001

8M SW SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1907 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 430

Fair

Over: DUNLAP CREEK 059

3M NW SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1951 Load: 7.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 074

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK 079

8M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1940 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 434

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 092

1M N CRANE, Richland, MT

Built 1908 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 332

Fair

Over: USBR CANAL SPILLWAY 100

E EDGE SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 2002 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 130

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 066

6M SW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 2009 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 100

1ST AVE NW

Fair

Over: NORTH FK FOX CREEK 090

WEST EDGE LAMBERT, Richland, MT

Built 1978 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 334

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 077

4M SW SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 2008 Load: 19.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 023

Fair

Over: BRORSON CREEK 012

3M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1997 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 100

S 201

Fair

Over: N FORK FIRST HAY CREEK

10M W FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1937 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 851

S 201

Fair

Over: SECOND HAY CREEK

5M W FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1937 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 722

S 261

Fair

Over: O`BRIEN CREEK

9M S SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1977 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 86

COUNTY ROAD 201

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK 022

8M NW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1993 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 100

S 16

Fair

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

2M SE CULBERTSON, Richland, MT

Built 1988 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 963

S 201-1ST ST W

Fair

Over: USRS CANAL

FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1934 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,018

S 16

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL

1M N SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1974 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,407

IRR - SR 480

Fair

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

9M SW BROCKTON, Richland, MT

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 134

COUNTY ROAD 018

Fair

Over: WEST CHARLIE CREEK 045

52M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1994 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 130

Fair

Over: FIRST HAY CREEK 098

6M N SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2009 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 022

Fair

Over: HARDSCRABBLE CREEK 076

39M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2009 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 451

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 091

7M SW SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 2001 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 17

COUNTY ROAD 015

Fair

Over: CHARLIE CREEK 039

37M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2004 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 100

9TH AVE SW

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK 083

SIDNEY-9TH AVE SW, Richland, MT

Built 1999 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,485

COUNTY ROAD 329

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 057

3M N SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1996 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 42

S 16

Fair

Over: FOX CREEK

5M SW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1974 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 2,766

COUNTY ROAD 350

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 025

2M N SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2003 Load: 28.8 t ADT: 339

COUNTY ROAD 309

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK 033

1M SE SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1993 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 321

625

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK 096

23M S SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1994 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 100

S 200

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

1M NW LAMBERT, Richland, MT

Built 2008 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 443

COUNTY ROAD 332

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 052

3M S SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1999 Load: 29.2 t ADT: 100

S 16

Fair

Over: DUNLAP CREEK

1M N SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1974 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,407

COUNTY ROAD 074

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE 031

12M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1994 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 100

S 16

Fair

Over: N FORK 1ST HAY CREEK

13M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2003 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,074

5TH ST SW

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 082

SIDNEY-5TH ST, Richland, MT

Built 1999 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 860

COUNTY ROAD 001

Fair

Over: CHARLIE CREEK 043

42M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 002

Fair

Over: EAST REDWATER CREEK 084

16M N RICHEY, Richland, MT

Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 34

COUNTY ROAD 002

Fair

Over: N FK LISK CREEK 034

7M N RICHEY, Richland, MT

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 34

COUNTY ROAD 021

Fair

Over: HARDSCRABBLE CREEK 075

37M NW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 203

Fair

Over: NORTH FK FOURMILE CR 061

9M NW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 208

Fair

Over: N FK FIRST HAY CREEK 068

8M W FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 132

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 064

2M SW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 213

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK 062

9M NW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 217

Fair

Over: SECOND HAY CREEK 023

7M W FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1980 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 221

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK 060

6M NW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 131

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 072

4M SW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 334

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 078

7M SW SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 349

Fair

Over: SHADWELL CREEK 019

24M SE SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1938 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 403

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 008

W CRANE, Richland, MT

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 410

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 010

5M NE CRANE, Richland, MT

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 113

COUNTY ROAD 411

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 011

2M N CRANE, Richland, MT

Built 1982 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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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.