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

Pace Street

Good

Over: Spring Gulch

.15 Mi. N of Wyndemere, Boulder, CO

Built 2000 Load: 49.7 t ADT: 7,639

SH 52 ML

Good

Over: ANTELOPE CREEK

21.71 MI N OF JCT SH 79, Morgan, CO

Built 1977 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 410

COUNTY RD 79.0

Good

Over: LEITENSDORFER ARROYO

1.1 MI N OF CR 75.1, Las Animas, CO

Built 1990 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 43

County Road 87

Good

Over: Bijou Canal

0.3 MI S of US HWY 34, Weld, CO

Built 2017 Load: 49.8 t ADT: 366

20TH AVENUE

Good

Over: LENA GULCH

INLET MAPLE GROVE RESERVR, Jefferson, CO

Built 1994 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 7,150

COUNTY ROAD 15B

Good

Over: CASTLE CREEK

0.2 MI SW OF COUNTY RD 15, Pitkin, CO

Built 1997 Load: 49.9 t ADT: 480

PERRY PARK ROAD

Good

Over: EAST PLUM CREEK

0.75 MILE N OF NOE RD, Douglas, CO

Built 2008 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 2,011

COUNTY ROAD 5600

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

4.3 MI SW OF OLATHE, Montrose, CO

Built 1999 Load: 50.1 t ADT: 127

OIL WELL ROAD

Good

Over: N. FORK HORSE CREEK

0.9 MI N OF FUNK ROAD, El Paso, CO

Built 2017 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 20

US 24 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

8.0 MI NE OF JCT SH 94, El Paso, CO

Built 1999 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 16,000

Hughes Drive

Good

Over: Unnamed Drainage

0.1 Mi W of Roberts St., Weld, CO

Built 2021 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 80

COUNTY ROAD 15B

Good

Over: CONUNDRUM CREEK

0.5 MI SW OF COUNTY RD 15, Pitkin, CO

Built 1997 Load: 50.2 t ADT: 97

COUNTY ROAD 74

Good

Over: UPPER BEAR CREEK

.5MI W OF EVRGRN LAKE, Jefferson, CO

Built 2003 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 1,624

Hygiene Rd (Cr 10)

Good

Over: Boulder Feeder Ditch

0.7 Mi E of US Hwy 36, Boulder, CO

Built 1987 Load: 50.3 t ADT: 692

IRR# COUNTY RD 334

Good

Over: ALLISON DITCH

.5 MI E OF CR 336, La Plata, CO

Built 1997 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 86

IRR# CO RD 391

Good

Over: NAVAJO RIVER

3.5 MI SW OF CHROMO, Archuleta, CO

Built 2001 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 37

HOLLY ST

Good

Over: CHERRY CREEK

S HOLLY AT CHERRY CK DR, Denver, CO

Built 2007 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 19,122

PINE DRIVE

Good

Over: SULPHUR GULCH

0.1 MI S MAIN STREET, Douglas, CO

Built 2003 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 6,522

COUNTY ROAD 56V

Good

Over: LEOPARD CREEK

.1 MI E OF SH 62, San Miguel, CO

Built 1993 Load: 50.4 t ADT: 138

Ski Idlewild Road

Good

Over: Fraser River

0.1 Mi E of Sawyer Cir., Grand, CO

Built 2020 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 257

US 287 ML

Good

Over: US 36 ML

FEDERAL @ US 36 IN WEST., Adams, CO

Built 2002 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 40,000

E-470

Good

Over: Murphy Creek

17.78 MI from I-25, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1997 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 40,388

US 285 ML NBND

Good

Over: ELK CREEK ROAD

SHAFFERS CROSSING, Jefferson, CO

Built 2010 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 9,500

County Road 70

Good

Over: North Poudre Ditch

0.6 Mi E of Co Rd 17, Larimer, CO

Built 2019 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 5,176

COUNTY ROAD 34

Good

Over: GOVT. HIGHLINE CANAL

.9 MI N OF RD F, Mesa, CO

Built 2022 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 510

CR R (SH 330E)

Good

Over: BUZZARD CREEK

2.6 MI E of RD 64.60, Mesa, CO

Built 2016 Load: 50.5 t ADT: 82

County Road 3

Good

Over: Jackson Lake Inlet Canal

1.0 Mi N of Co Rd Y.5, Morgan, CO

Built 1982 Load: 50.7 t ADT: 282

GUN CLUB RD/E470

Good

Over: I 70 ML

0.5 MI E OF JCT US 40, Adams, CO

Built 1973 Load: 50.8 t ADT: 17,744

NB E470 TO SBI25

Good

Over: I25 E470 ML RAMPS

46.36 MI FROM I25, Adams, CO

Built 2003 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 830

County Road 38E

Good

Over: Charles Hansen FD Canal

0.1 MI S COUNTY RD 25E, Larimer, CO

Built 2007 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 1,744

County Road 27

Good

Over: Larimer and Weld Canal

.3 Mi N of Co Rd 76, Weld, CO

Built 2016 Load: 50.9 t ADT: 285

US 34 ML

Good

Over: CAMP CREEK

8 MI. E OF BRUSH, Washington, CO

Built 2000 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 3,300

Centre Street

Good

Over: New Mercer Canal

0.1 M E of Worthington St, Larimer, CO

Built 1989 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 5,256

I70 FRONTAGE RD(S)

Good

Over: HORSETHIEF CREEK (S) SR

JUST E. OF DEBEQUE INTERC, Mesa, CO

Built 1980 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 161

I25 NBND ON RAMP

Good

Over: PURGATOIRE RIVER

In TRINIDAD, Las Animas, CO

Built 2009 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 8,000

County Road AA

Good

Over: Arikaree River

2.5 Mi. N of Co.Rd. 11, Yuma, CO

Built 1999 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 29

COUNTY ROAD 126

Good

Over: N FORK OF S PLATTE RIVER

NW TOWN OF BUFFALO CREEK, Jefferson, CO

Built 1997 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 1,415

LaPorte Avenue

Good

Over: New Mercer Canal

0.2 Mi E of Taft Hill, Larimer, CO

Built 2023 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 9,091

US 385 ML

Good

Over: SOUTH LADDER CREEK

6 MI S OF US 40, Cheyenne, CO

Built 1997 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 730

I 25 ML

Good

Over: D STREET

0.2 MI N OF JCT SH 50 E, Pueblo, CO

Built 2019 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 52,000

IRR# US 491 ML

Good

Over: CHIMNEY ROCK DRAW

5.6 MI N OF NEW MEXICO, Montezuma, CO

Built 1957 Load: 51.2 t ADT: 4,000

I 70 ML WBND

Good

Over: RAMP TO GRIZZLY CREEK

GRIZZLY CREEK INTERCHANGE, Garfield, CO

Built 1988 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 8,500

WASHINGTON AVENUE

Good

Over: CATLIN CANAL

IN CITY OF ROCKY FORD, Otero, CO

Built 1978 Load: 51.3 t ADT: 1,550

County Road 23

Good

Over: Riverside Canal

0.2 Mi N of Co Rd Y, Morgan, CO

Built 2003 Load: 51.4 t ADT: 26

PENA BLVD SBND RMP

Good

Over: RMP TO I70 WB ML

PENA BLVD OVER AIRPORT RD, Adams, CO

Built 1993 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 33,000

SH 88-FEDERAL BLVD

Good

Over: WB C-D ROAD

FEDERAL / 6 IN DENVER, Denver, CO

Built 2014 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 35,000

US 6 ML

Good

Over: SH 95 ML/SHERIDAN AVE.

IN LAKEWOOD, Jefferson, CO

Built 2011 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 114,000

N. Wilson Avenue

Good

Over: Big Thompson River

0.45 Mi N of W. 1st St., Larimer, CO

Built 1999 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 8,814

Wilson Avenue

Good

Over: Big Barnes Ditch

0.8 Mi N of West First St, Larimer, CO

Built 2001 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 6,213

County Road 39

Good

Over: New Cache La Poudre Cana

150 Ft N of St Hwy 392, Weld, CO

Built 1990 Load: 51.5 t ADT: 2,662

Showing 8,001-8,050 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.