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

US 550 ML

Good

Over: DEXTER CREEK

3.5 MI N. OF JCT SH 361 M, Ouray, CO

Built 1988 Load: 37.4 t ADT: 4,700

SH 96 ML

Good

Over: QUERIDA GULCH

7 MI EAST OF JCT SH 69, Custer, CO

Built 1978 Load: 37.4 t ADT: 1,800

US 34 ML

Good

Over: EMPIRE CANAL

15.3 MI E OF JCT SH 37, Weld, CO

Built 1983 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 6,900

COUNTY ROAD 9

Good

Over: ALAMOSA RIVER

0.2 MI N OF SH 15, Conejos, CO

Built 1998 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 75

SH 119 ML SBND

Good

Over: LEFT HAND CREEK

3.6 MI N OF JCT SH 52, Boulder, CO

Built 1975 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 14,000

COUNTY ROAD P.00/

Good

Over: FIRE MOUNTAIN CANAL

1.1 MI NW OF SH 133, Delta, CO

Built 1997 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 97

I 25 ML NBND

Good

Over: ROCKRIMMON BLVD.

In Colorado Springs, El Paso, CO

Built 2008 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 57,000

WB COTTONWOOD DR

Good

Over: CHERRY CREEK

0.5 M WEST OF PARKER RD, Douglas, CO

Built 1988 Load: 37.5 t ADT: 12,733

MILITARY RES BNDRY

Good

Over: Drainage Ditch

2 mi. NE of Gate 19, El Paso, CO

Built 2011 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 50

ROAD

Good

Over: MICHIGAN RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Jackson, CO

Built 2023 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 50

RIVERSIDE DRIVE

Good

Over: FRYING PAN RIVER

RIVERSIDE/COTTONWD INTER, Eagle, CO

Built 1990 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 1,226

Lowell Blvd NB

Good

Over: Lowell Channel

0.15 Mi S of SH7, Broomfield, CO

Built 2005 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 4,296

DOUGLAS AVENUE

Good

Over: FORKED GULCH

Just E of 2nd ST, Fremont, CO

Built 1987 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 251

CITY STANLEY AVE.

Good

Over: FORKED GULCH

0.1 Mi S of Douglas Ave, Fremont, CO

Built 1987 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 49

NEW YORK AVE

Good

Over: FORKED GULCH

Just W of 2nd ST, Fremont, CO

Built 1987 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 300

COUNTY ROAD 13

Good

Over: ALAMOSA RIVER

1.0 MI N OF SH 15, Conejos, CO

Built 1989 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 89

I 70 WBND

Good

Over: FOREST SERVICE ROAD

2.6 MI W OF EISENHWR TUNL, Summit, CO

Built 2021 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 36,000

SH 83 ML

Good

Over: SH 88 ML

SH 83/SH 88, Douglas, CO

Built 2012 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 59,000

US 36 ML

Good

Over: COMANCHE CREEK

0.4 MI E OF STRASBURG, Arapahoe, CO

Built 2012 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 3,400

RIVERSIDE PKWY

Good

Over: SH 50 ML

S. SIDE OF GRAND JCT, Mesa, CO

Built 2010 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 5,588

NB I25 ML

Good

Over: NB SH 21 RAMP

SH21 AND I25 INT, El Paso, CO

Built 2021 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 66,000

US 24 RAMP/UNION

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK R

OVER SPRING CREEK, El Paso, CO

Built 1995 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 830

COUNTY RD 53.7

Good

Over: ROAD CANYON CREEK

JUST S OF CR 40.2, Las Animas, CO

Built 2005 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 3

BRIDGE RD

Good

Over: GORE CREEK

0.1 MI S OF BIGHORN RD, Eagle, CO

Built 2019 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 192

County Road 18

Good

Over: South Platte River

0.7 Mi E of Co Rd 25, Weld, CO

Built 1994 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 3,971

COUNTY RD 309A

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

JUST S OF CR 307, La Plata, CO

Built 1995 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 405

SABLE BLVD

Good

Over: SABLE DITCH

JUST S OF 23RD AVE, Adams, CO

Built 1992 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 9,528

S UPHAM ST

Good

Over: SANDERSON GULCH

0.1 MI W OF S UPHAM CT, Jefferson, CO

Built 2017 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 893

County Road 23

Good

Over: Dry Creek

0.6 Mi N of Co Rd 6, Larimer, CO

Built 1988 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 2,798

US 287 ML

Good

Over: CAT CREEK

0.7 M N OF JCT US 160, Baca, CO

Built 1985 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 6,000

C.R 49/ RAINBOW RD

Good

Over: TROUT CREEK

0.1 MI E OF SH 67, Douglas, CO

Built 1992 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 155

CO RD 864

Good

Over: VAN BOXEL CREEK

11.4 MI NE OF OWL CR PASS, Gunnison, CO

Built 1998 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 12

7th Street(CR 20D)

Good

Over: Greeley Loveland Canal

0.1 M W. Mad. Ave. -CR 13, Larimer, CO

Built 1986 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 2,645

County Road AA

Good

Over: Dead Horse Draw

0.5 Mi E of Co Rd 27, Morgan, CO

Built 1992 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 22

County Road 33

Good

Over: Lone Tree Creek

0.95 Mi N of Co Rd 100, Weld, CO

Built 1984 Load: 37.8 t ADT: 162

County Road D

Good

Over: Towaoc Canal

6.4 mi SW of Cortez, La Plata, CO

Built 1990 Load: 37.9 t

BAYFIELD PARKWAY

Good

Over: LOS PINOS RIVER OVERFLOW

0.5 W Mill Street, La Plata, CO

Built 2017 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 3,060

ARAPAHOE ROAD

Good

Over: BIG DRY CREEK

0.1 MILE E OF UNIVERSITY, Arapahoe, CO

Built 2023 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 24,212

JOSEPHINE ST.

Good

Over: I 70 ML

300 FT E of YORK ST, Denver, CO

Built 2020 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 5,970

25.5 ROAD

Good

Over: GRAND VALLEY CANAL

.6 MI N OF PATTERSON ROAD, Mesa, CO

Built 1999 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 2,808

I 25 ML NBND

Good

Over: Crooked Canyon Creek

5.0 MI NW OF EL PASO-PUEB, El Paso, CO

Built 2012 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 19,000

County Road 40

Good

Over: Cedar Creek

0.3 Mi E of US138, Logan, CO

Built 2013 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 133

FUNK ROAD

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

0.8 MILE E OF OIL WELL RD, El Paso, CO

Built 1992 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 84

4th St (Cr 60.5)

Good

Over: Sheep Draw

0.5 Mi E of 71st Ave, Weld, CO

Built 1992 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 8,963

County Road 56

Good

Over: Box Elder Creek

1.0 Mi. East of I-25, Larimer, CO

Built 1997 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 221

BENCHMARK DRIVE

Good

Over: PEDESTRIAN / SKIER

CITY STREET - BENCHMARK, San Miguel, CO

Built 1990 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 150

WILLOW BRIDGE RD

Good

Over: GORE CREEK

0.1 MI N OF GORE CREEK DR, Eagle, CO

Built 1992 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 127

SH 392 ML

Good

Over: CROW CREEK

0.8 Mi E of Co Rd 75, Weld, CO

Built 1991 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 2,700

E-470 EB

Good

Over: Jordan Road

4.33 MI FROM I 25, Douglas, CO

Built 1989 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 24,616

OLD RANCH ROAD

Good

Over: KETTLE CREEK

0.1 MI E OF OTERO AVENUE, El Paso, CO

Built 1988 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 8,618

Showing 7,151-7,200 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.