State profile · Below median Poor share

Colorado bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Colorado.

8,965
Public bridges
35.7%
Good condition
4.8%
Poor condition

Colorado holds 8,965 public highway bridges (#27 of 52 by inventory) with a 4.82% Poor share (#34 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 4.8% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 19 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

8,965

Public highway bridges in Colorado

Good Condition

35.7%

3,197 bridges rated 7-9

-14.3pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

4.8%

432 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-2.7pp vs national avg 7.5%

Colorado vs national bridge condition

Colorado - Good condition share 35.7%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Colorado - Poor-condition share 16.1%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Colorado in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Colorado has 8,965 bridges and a 4.8% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #19 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Colorado has 8,965 bridges and a 4.8% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #19 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Colorado vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

8,965 27th of 54 higher than 27 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. 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 · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Colorado

The highlighted point is Colorado: 8,965 bridges and 4.82% in Poor condition, rank #19 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Colorado on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Connecticut: 4,365 bridges · 4.72% Poor
  • Ohio: 26,729 bridges · 4.74% Poor
  • Colorado: 8,965 bridges · 4.82% Poor
  • Idaho: 4,616 bridges · 4.90% Poor
  • Indiana: 19,495 bridges · 5.22% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Colorado

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 8,965 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Colorado’s inventory

State agency holds 38.8% of the 8,965 public highway bridges filed under Colorado in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Colorado’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 8.5% of the 8,965 bridges with a recorded original year in Colorado. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Colorado35.7%59.5%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Colorado (FHWA NBI)

Counties (64)

Adams 535 Alamosa 16 Arapahoe 391 Archuleta 44 Baca 106 Bent 68 Boulder 311 Broomfield 66 Chaffee 84 Cheyenne 61 Clear Creek 77 Conejos 62 Costilla 39 Crowley 28 Custer 20 Delta 64 Denver 458 Dolores 28 Douglas 263 Eagle 174 El Paso 686 Elbert 85 Fremont 137 Garfield 167 Gilpin 19 Grand 88 Gunnison 100 Hinsdale 31 Huerfano 94 Jackson 47 Jefferson 464 Kiowa 31 Kit Carson 130 La Plata 102 Lake 17 Larimer 559 Las Animas 207 Lincoln 129 Logan 182 Mesa 319 Mineral 26 Moffat 80 Montezuma 61 Montrose 118 Morgan 192 Otero 195 Ouray 39 Park 55 Phillips 27 Pitkin 62 Prowers 137 Pueblo 264 Rio Blanco 54 Rio Grande 71 Routt 96 Saguache 41 San Juan 13 San Miguel 59 Sedgwick 64 Summit 57 Teller 27 Washington 75 Weld 614 Yuma 49

Colorado vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Colorado on the same metric.

CT

Connecticut

4.72% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,365

OH

Ohio

4.74% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$26,729
Selected

CO

Colorado

4.82% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,965

ID

Idaho

4.90% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,616

IN

Indiana

5.22% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,495

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Colorado

Six lowest-condition bridges in Colorado, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

144TH AVENUE

Poor

Over: LOST CREEK

1.2 MILES WEST OF SH 79, Adams, CO

Built 1960 Load: 0.0 t

County Road 79.0

Poor

Over: Salado Creek

2.8 Mi N of CR 64, Las Animas, CO

Built 2020 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2

County Road 59

Poor

Over: N. Sterling Outlet Canal

0.3 Mi N of Co Rd 58, Logan, CO

Built 1940 Load: 1.4 t ADT: 6

COTTONWOOD ST

Poor

Over: NORTH CRESTONE CREEK

IN TOWN OF CRESTONE, Saguache, CO

Built 1991 Load: 2.3 t ADT: 65

CO Rd 32

Poor

Over: Feeder Ditch

0.28 MI E of Co Rd 75, Las Animas, CO

Built 1970 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 7

POTOMAC STREET

Poor

Over: OBRIAN CANAL

0.2 MILE NORTH OF SH 2, Adams, CO

Built 1940 Load: 3.8 t ADT: 190

All Bridges in Colorado

SH 69 ML

Fair

Over: LAKE CREEK

14.6 MI NORTH OF WESTCLIF, Fremont, CO

Built 1949 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 420

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

0.6 MI E OF MATHESON, Elbert, CO

Built 1984 Load: 68.3 t ADT: 3,000

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

2.7 MI E OF SIMLA, Elbert, CO

Built 1985 Load: 68.5 t ADT: 3,400

SH 71 ML

Fair

Over: LAKE CREEK

2.9 MI N OF LIMON, Lincoln, CO

Built 1975 Load: 68.6 t ADT: 1,300

I 25 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

14.3 MI NO OF WALSENBURG, Huerfano, CO

Built 1930 Load: 68.8 t ADT: 14,000

COUNTY ROAD Y

Fair

Over: RUSH CREEK

1 MI W OF CR 49, Kiowa, CO

Built 2001 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 24

SH 13 ML

Fair

Over: FORTIFICATION CREEK

23 MI NORTH OF CRAIG, Moffat, CO

Built 1997 Load: 69.2 t ADT: 1,500

SH 14 ML

Fair

Over: EATON DITCH

5.2 MI E OF US85 / AULT, Weld, CO

Built 1992 Load: 69.3 t ADT: 2,300

SIMMS STREET

Fair

Over: CROKE CANAL

1.50 MI NORTH OF 64TH AVE, Jefferson, CO

Built 1995 Load: 69.4 t ADT: 12,247

HAMPDEN AVENUE

Fair

Over: MEADOWOOD CREEK

.35 MI W OF BUCKLEY RD, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1974 Load: 69.4 t ADT: 27,573

I25ML SBND RAMPS

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

5.1 MI S OF JCT SH 105 ML, El Paso, CO

Built 1957 Load: 69.8 t ADT: 46,000

US 287 ML

Fair

Over: HIGHLAND DITCH

2.1 MI NO OF JCT SH 66, Boulder, CO

Built 1999 Load: 70.1 t ADT: 23,000

CALHAN HWY

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

3.0 MI N OF CALHAN, El Paso, CO

Built 1955 Load: 70.1 t ADT: 2,753

SH 71 ML

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

10 MI N OF JCT SH 14, Weld, CO

Built 1957 Load: 70.6 t ADT: 1,000

SH 9 ML

Fair

Over: S FK SOUTH PLATTE RVR

0.15 MI N OF US24/HARTSL, Park, CO

Built 1978 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 2,200

SH 92

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

Just S OF CRAWFORD, Delta, CO

Built 2006 Load: 71.3 t ADT: 1,000

SH 13 ML

Fair

Over: PINE RIDGE GULCH

SW EDGE OF CRAIG, Moffat, CO

Built 1973 Load: 71.4 t ADT: 2,800

CHENANGO DR

Fair

Over: TOLLGATE CREEK

JUST E OF HIMALAYA CT, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1994 Load: 71.4 t ADT: 10,350

SH 13 ML

Fair

Over: CURTIS CREEK

4 mil. N. of Meeker, Rio Blanco, CO

Built 1958 Load: 71.5 t ADT: 1,300

US 385 ML

Fair

Over: LADDER CREEK

1.5 MI S OF US 40, Cheyenne, CO

Built 1993 Load: 71.8 t ADT: 730

SH 139 ML

Fair

Over: DOUGLAS CREEK

9.5 MI. S. OF RANGELY, Rio Blanco, CO

Built 1990 Load: 72.5 t ADT: 620

US 40 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

13.7 MI SE OF HUGO, Lincoln, CO

Built 1991 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 3,000

I 70 ML

Fair

Over: LEWIS GULCH

9.6 MI E OF JCT US 6 ML, Mesa, CO

Built 1964 Load: 72.7 t ADT: 22,000

US 50 ML

Fair

Over: COLD DRAW

5.1 MI W OF PONCHA SPGS., Chaffee, CO

Built 1938 Load: 72.8 t ADT: 2,800

Cherryvale Road

Fair

Over: Davidson Ditch

0.9 Mi S of US Hwy 36, Boulder, CO

Built 1986 Load: 73.6 t ADT: 3,123

US 40 ML

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

5.7 MI E OF JCT I 70 ML, Lincoln, CO

Built 1995 Load: 73.6 t ADT: 3,700

Interlocken Blvd.

Fair

Over: Ped. Underpass/Drainage

100 Ft SE of W Flatiron, Broomfield, CO

Built 1999 Load: 73.7 t ADT: 5,799

County Road 32

Fair

Over: Platte Valley Canal

0.2 Mi E of US Hwy 85, Weld, CO

Built 1987 Load: 73.7 t ADT: 4,636

US 138 ML

Fair

Over: HARMONY DITCH NO 2

14.7 MI NE OF JCT SH 113, Logan, CO

Built 1993 Load: 74.0 t ADT: 450

COUNTY ROAD 4C

Fair

Over: N FORK ARIKAREE RIVER

0.5 MILE WEST OF ROAD 43, Lincoln, CO

Built 2000 Load: 74.0 t ADT: 14

MADISON AVE

Fair

Over: SHOOKS RUN

East of Templeton Gap, El Paso, CO

Built 1950 Load: 74.1 t ADT: 5,771

LINCOLN AVENUE

Fair

Over: BALDWIN GULCH

0.5 MI E OF SH 83, Douglas, CO

Built 2002 Load: 74.2 t ADT: 16,593

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: HILLSIDE

AT GRIZZLE CRK REST AREA, Garfield, CO

Built 1986 Load: 74.5 t ADT: 8,500

I 70 ML

Fair

Over: SAND WASH

10.0 MI E OF JCT SH 65, Mesa, CO

Built 1980 Load: 74.5 t ADT: 17,000

CR 1.5 (Briggs St)

Fair

Over: Coal Creek

0.4 Mi NE of Co Rd 8.5, Weld, CO

Built 1999 Load: 74.7 t ADT: 1,915

POTOMAC ST

Fair

Over: LOCAL DRAINAGE

BETWEEN JEWELL AND MISSIS, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1986 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 5,429

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

3.6 MI NE OF JCT US 285, Chaffee, CO

Built 1938 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 6,700

US 50 ML

Fair

Over: FRED ROHR GULCH

2.1 MI E OF FREMONT-PUEBL, Pueblo, CO

Built 1977 Load: 74.8 t ADT: 9,800

I25 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

3.4 MI N OF JCT. SH 7, Weld, CO

Built 2004 Load: 75.5 t ADT: 102,000

COUNTY ROAD 108

Fair

Over: COSTILLA CANAL

2 MI W OF SH17, Alamosa, CO

Built 1997 Load: 75.6 t ADT: 49

FONTAINE BLVD

Fair

Over: W. TRIB JIMMY CAMP CREEK

0.8 MI W OF MARKSHEFFEL R, El Paso, CO

Built 1992 Load: 75.6 t ADT: 6,989

ASPEN GARDEN WAY

Fair

Over: FOUNTAIN CREEK

JUST E OF CR 21, Teller, CO

Built 1998 Load: 75.6 t ADT: 1,532

IRR# US 84 ML

Fair

Over: LITTLE NAVAJO RIVER

CHROMO 4.7 MI N OF NM, Archuleta, CO

Built 1938 Load: 76.0 t ADT: 1,100

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

5.0 MI E OF SIMLA, Elbert, CO

Built 1985 Load: 76.1 t ADT: 3,400

US 40 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

15.4 MI SE OF HUGO, Lincoln, CO

Built 1991 Load: 76.3 t ADT: 3,300

UNION AVENUE

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

DENVER MT PARK OFFICE, Denver, CO

Built 1999 Load: 76.5 t ADT: 78

IRR# SH 160 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

7.4 MI NE OF NEW MEXICO S, Montezuma, CO

Built 1961 Load: 77.1 t ADT: 2,200

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

1.9 MI NE OF FALCON, El Paso, CO

Built 2010 Load: 77.4 t ADT: 17,000

EASTER AVENUE

Fair

Over: SADDLE ROCK RANCHES GULC

0.3 MI W OF GARTRELL RD, Arapahoe, CO

Built 2002 Load: 77.7 t ADT: 2,822

SH 7 ML

Fair

Over: BRANTNER DITCH

7.5 MI E OF JCT I 25, Adams, CO

Built 1967 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 16,000

Showing 5,001-5,050 of 8,965 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

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

What to do with this

Use Colorado's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Colorado and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Colorado Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; 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.