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 12 ML

Good

Over: PRIMERO CANYON

AT SEGUNDO, Las Animas, CO

Built 1978 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 520

BEECH STREET

Good

Over: RALSTON CREEK

0.3 MI SOUTH OF 72ND AVE, Jefferson, CO

Built 1978 Load: 27.3 t ADT: 1,714

US 550 ML

Good

Over: UNCOMPHAGRE RIVER

8 MI OF SH62-RIDGWAY, Ouray, CO

Built 1989 Load: 27.3 t ADT: 8,300

County Road 21

Good

Over: Larimer and Weld Canal

100 Ft N of Co Rd 76, Weld, CO

Built 2008 Load: 27.3 t ADT: 233

COUNTY RD LL56

Good

Over: KERBER CREEK

JUST N OF FIRST ST, Saguache, CO

Built 1994 Load: 27.4 t ADT: 47

US 285 ML

Good

Over: PLEASANT PARK RD.

Conifer, Jefferson, CO

Built 2003 Load: 27.4 t ADT: 25,000

COUNTY RD LL56

Good

Over: KERBER CREEK

0.5 MI S. OF BONANZA, Saguache, CO

Built 1989 Load: 27.4 t ADT: 18

FDR 535

Good

Over: BURRO CREEK

24.3 MI ON FDR 535, Dolores, CO

Built 2001 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 52

COUNTY ROAD 50

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

.6 MI W OF CR 149, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1987 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 183

US287 SBND

Good

Over: GREELEY-LOVELAND CANAL

CLEVELAND AVE at 1st ST, Larimer, CO

Built 2003 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 5,500

CENTRAL AVE

Good

Over: KIOWA CREEK

JUST WEST OF WIGGINS, Weld, CO

Built 2005 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,300

IVY STREET

Good

Over: BIG THOMPSON RIVER

95 FT W of E Riverside Av, Larimer, CO

Built 2023 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,507

SH 9 ML

Good

Over: BLUE RIVER

SH 9 OVER BLUE RIVER, Summit, CO

Built 2008 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 20,000

SH 21B NBND ML

Good

Over: KETTLE CREEK

NBND POWERS, El Paso, CO

Built 2005 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 37,000

County Road 15

Good

Over: Bijou/San Arroyo Canals

0.5 MI S of Co Rd P, Morgan, CO

Built 2019 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 101

County Road 20.5

Good

Over: Riverside Canal

0.75 Mi N of Co Rd V, Morgan, CO

Built 2019 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 114

County Road Y.5

Good

Over: Weldon Valley Ditch

0.02 Mi E of Co Rd 4, Morgan, CO

Built 2019 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 308

US 160 ML WB RMP

Good

Over: WILSON GULCH & Ped Path

EAST of INT US 550/160, La Plata, CO

Built 2010 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 604

BLAKE ST

Good

Over: CHERRY CREEK

BTWN 14 ST AND SPEER, Denver, CO

Built 1984 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 12,492

GRANEROS ROAD

Good

Over: I 25 ML

21.2 MI NO OF JCT US 160, Pueblo, CO

Built 1965 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 249

SH 368 ML

Good

Over: EMPIRE IRRIGATION CANAL

2.3 MI E OF JCT SH 371, Alamosa, CO

Built 1955 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 230

County Road 23

Good

Over: Big Dry Creek

0.7 Mi N of Co Rd 6, Weld, CO

Built 1995 Load: 27.6 t ADT: 1,041

US 287 ML

Good

Over: FIRST STREET

NEAR BERTHOUD, Larimer, CO

Built 2005 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 18,000

SH 470 ML EBND

Good

Over: SH 177-UNIVERSITY BLVD

4 M E OF JCT US 85, Douglas, CO

Built 1984 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 48,500

US 24 ML WBND

Good

Over: UNION BLVD

US24 HANCOCK TO QUIVIRA, El Paso, CO

Built 1993 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 21,000

SH 145 ML

Good

Over: WEST DOLORES RIVER

13 MILES NE OF DOLORES, Montezuma, CO

Built 1994 Load: 27.7 t ADT: 1,800

COUNTY ROAD 18

Good

Over: N. BRANCH CONEJOS RIVER

0.5 MI S OF MANASSA, Conejos, CO

Built 1990 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 223

US 6 ML

Good

Over: MONTEZUMA ROAD WBND

AT MONTEZUMA ROAD, Summit, CO

Built 1995 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 1,600

County Road 16

Good

Over: Fort Morgan Canal

0.8 Mi N of Co Rd S, Morgan, CO

Built 1996 Load: 27.8 t ADT: 760

NFSR 116

Good

Over: LAKE CREEK

.02 MI SW OF HWY 82, Lake, CO

Built 1989 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 110

US 36 ML

Good

Over: FALL RIVER

0.3 MI S. OF SH34 IN ESTE, Larimer, CO

Built 2018 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 10,000

CHEYENNE CANYON RD

Good

Over: NORTH CHEYENNE CREEK

1.1 MI W EVANS ANENUE, El Paso, CO

Built 2022 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 1,577

I 225 ML

Good

Over: 28TH & 30TH AVE SAND

AURORA 1.25 S OF JCT I 70, Adams, CO

Built 1990 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 121,000

E-470 SB

Good

Over: York Street

44.83 MI FROM I25, Adams, CO

Built 2003 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 18,466

LUCENT BLVD

Good

Over: C470 ML

LUCENT BLVD, Douglas, CO

Built 1997 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 19,553

OAKWAY N (CR 168A)

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

5 MI S OF CARBONDALE, Garfield, CO

Built 2013 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 519

US 24 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

0.7 MI. NE OF FALCON, El Paso, CO

Built 1999 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 17,000

SH 71 ML

Good

Over: DUCK CREEK

9.0 MI N OF JCT SH 96 E, Crowley, CO

Built 1969 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 570

County Road U

Good

Over: Bvr Ck/Up Platte Canal

0.9 Mi E of Co Rd 30, Morgan, CO

Built 1996 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 67

COUNTY RD Z.5

Good

Over: WELDON VALLEY DITCH

0.4 MI E OF CO RD 4, Morgan, CO

Built 2012 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 56

County Road 2.5

Good

Over: Unknown Canal

0.2 Mi W of CR 29, Weld, CO

Built 2022 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 250

County Road 80

Good

Over: Collins Lateral Ditch

1.4 Mi E of Co Rd 23, Weld, CO

Built 1993 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 355

COUNTY ROAD G

Good

Over: RIO SAN ANTONIO

4.4 MI E OF ANTONITO/285, Conejos, CO

Built 1989 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 105

MAIN STREET

Good

Over: CUCHARAS CREEK

IN CUCHARA, Huerfano, CO

Built 1999 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 5

County Road 54E

Good

Over: Cache La Poudre River

50 Ft W of US Hwy 287, Larimer, CO

Built 1991 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 985

County Road 1

Good

Over: Little Snake River

0.4 Mi So of Wym SH 70, Moffat, CO

Built 1988 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 176

NFSR 112

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK

WEST OF ST HWY 125 MP9, Grand, CO

Built 1963 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 41

FDR 631

Good

Over: WILLIAMS CREEK

19.6 MI ON FDR 631, Hinsdale, CO

Built 1991 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 408

SH 131 ML

Good

Over: YAMPA RIVER

5.5 MI S. OF STMBT SPRNGS, Routt, CO

Built 1976 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 4,600

SH 52 ML

Good

Over: ANTELOPE CREEK

20 MI NO. OF JCT SH 79, Morgan, CO

Built 1977 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 410

Showing 5,751-5,800 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.