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

COUNTY ROAD 24

Good

Over: UTE CANYON

.2 MI S OF CR G, Baca, CO

Built 1978 Load: 75.0 t ADT: 4

County Road 16

Good

Over: Morrison Creek

11.5 Mi SE of Co Rd 14, Routt, CO

Built 2007 Load: 75.5 t ADT: 83

RIVERDALE ROAD

Good

Over: HALL STREAM

JUST N OF 104TH AVENUE, Adams, CO

Built 1993 Load: 75.6 t ADT: 6,933

SH 52 ML

Good

Over: BOULDER CREEK

2.4 MI E OF JCT US 287, Boulder, CO

Built 2011 Load: 75.8 t ADT: 14,000

OSAGE STREET

Good

Over: BNSF MAINLINE/LIGHT RAIL

W 62ND PKWY, Adams, CO

Built 2012 Load: 76.0 t ADT: 906

COUNTY ROAD 5100

Good

Over: WEST WISE CREEK

Just NW of AMBER RD, Montrose, CO

Built 2018 Load: 76.1 t ADT: 73

HAVANA STREET

Good

Over: HAPPY CANYON CREEK

1.3 MI S OF RIDGEGATE, Douglas, CO

Built 2009 Load: 76.7 t ADT: 1,145

SH 65 ML

Good

Over: ATWELL GULCH

Just S. of CR 45 1/2, Mesa, CO

Built 1973 Load: 76.9 t ADT: 2,600

FOREST ROAD 240

Good

Over: HOT CREEK

0.5 MI S OF CR 255, Conejos, CO

Built 2011 Load: 77.8 t ADT: 55

County Road 18

Good

Over: Local Drainage

0.4 Mi W of CR 11, Weld, CO

Built 2015 Load: 77.8 t ADT: 3,947

County Road 29

Good

Over: Home Supply Ditch

0.5 Mi N of US Hwy 34, Larimer, CO

Built 1981 Load: 78.2 t ADT: 397

TOWER ROAD

Good

Over: SECOND CREEK

0.25 MI N OF 81ST AVE, Adams, CO

Built 2018 Load: 78.4 t ADT: 28,933

County Road 129

Good

Over: Willow Creek

22.1 Mi N of US Hwy 40, Routt, CO

Built 1993 Load: 78.6 t ADT: 1,281

COUNTY ROAD 6E

Good

Over: RIO GRANDE RIVER OVERFLO

0.5 MI N of CR 1S, Rio Grande, CO

Built 1985 Load: 78.6 t ADT: 1,174

I 25 ML NBND

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

5.3 MI N OF JCT SH 83 ML, El Paso, CO

Built 1958 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 46,000

COUNTY RD 79.0

Good

Over: TRIB. OF SALADO CREEK

2.8 MI N OF CR 64.8, Las Animas, CO

Built 1997 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 2

SH 24 ML

Good

Over: GAME CROSSING

2.4 MI NE OF DIVIDE, Teller, CO

Built 2003 Load: 79.1 t ADT: 18,000

I 70 ML EBND

Good

Over: RAMP TO I 70 WBND DRAW

GRIZZLY CREEK INTERCHANGE, Garfield, CO

Built 1986 Load: 79.5 t ADT: 8,500

SH 125 ML

Good

Over: MICHIGAN RIVER

N. EDGE OF WALDEN, Jackson, CO

Built 2012 Load: 79.7 t ADT: 2,400

10TH AVENUE

Good

Over: LAKEWOOD GULCH

0.1 MI EAST OF PERRY ST, Denver, CO

Built 1999 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 5,422

DELAWARE STREET

Good

Over: LITTLES CREEK

AT WEST STERNE PKWY, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1999 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 1,723

County Road 80

Good

Over: Larimer and Weld Canal

0.6 Mi E of US Hwy 85, Weld, CO

Built 2022 Load: 80.4 t ADT: 229

I 70 ML WBND

Good

Over: RAMP TO I 70 WBND DRAW

GRIZZLY CK INTERCHANGE, Garfield, CO

Built 1986 Load: 80.5 t ADT: 8,500

SECURITY DRIVE

Good

Over: LOCAL DRAINAGE

.1 MI WEST OF SABLE BLVD, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1996 Load: 80.6 t ADT: 652

SH 72 ML

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

5.6 MI W OF JCT SH 93, Jefferson, CO

Built 2020 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 5,100

SH 72 ML

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

4.6 MI W OF JCT SH 93, Jefferson, CO

Built 2020 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 5,100

SH 72 ML

Good

Over: COAL CREEK

3.4 MI W OF JCT SH 93, Jefferson, CO

Built 2020 Load: 80.7 t ADT: 5,100

Peoria Street

Good

Over: Burlington Ditch

1.2 MI E JCT 85/112th AVE, Adams, CO

Built 2022 Load: 81.0 t ADT: 3,552

Gateway Road

Good

Over: Foothills Trail

W of 30th St intersection, El Paso, CO

Built 2022 Load: 81.0 t ADT: 1,900

US 285 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

5.6 MI N. OF PONCHA SPRGS, Chaffee, CO

Built 1967 Load: 81.0 t ADT: 5,500

US 50 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

4 MI EAST OF COTOPAXI, Fremont, CO

Built 2015 Load: 81.0 t ADT: 3,300

Iris Ave

Good

Over: Elmers Two Mile Ditch

0.15 Mi W of US36/28th St, Boulder, CO

Built 2005 Load: 81.6 t ADT: 21,112

County Road 21

Good

Over: Riverside Canal

0.8 Mi N of Co Rd W, Morgan, CO

Built 2009 Load: 82.3 t ADT: 41

SH 96 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

JACKSON HILL EAST, Pueblo, CO

Built 1993 Load: 82.4 t ADT: 970

COUNTY ROAD 58A

Good

Over: WEST PLUM CREEK TRIB.

.2 MI SW OF CO RD 105, Douglas, CO

Built 1998 Load: 82.6 t ADT: 61

COUNTY ROAD 54

Good

Over: NORTH FORK LADDER CREEK

.1 MI S OF US 40, Cheyenne, CO

Built 1989 Load: 83.2 t ADT: 49

Wagonwheel Gap Rd

Good

Over: Fourmile Creek

0.5 Mi W of Lee Hill Dr, Boulder, CO

Built 2019 Load: 83.3 t ADT: 460

SH 14 ML

Good

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

0.4 MI E OF JCT I 25, Larimer, CO

Built 1985 Load: 83.6 t ADT: 19,000

I25 RAMP

Good

Over: SPEER ENTRANCE

I25 & SPEER, Denver, CO

Built 2010 Load: 84.2 t ADT: 217,000

SH 92 ML

Good

Over: CURRANT CREEK

8 MI NE OF DELTA, Delta, CO

Built 2009 Load: 84.2 t ADT: 4,500

US 385 ML

Good

Over: BIG TIMBER CREEK

9.8 MI N OF JCT US 40, Cheyenne, CO

Built 1996 Load: 84.3 t ADT: 730

SH 67 ML

Good

Over: NEWLIN CREEK

5 MI S. OF FLORENCE, Fremont, CO

Built 2000 Load: 84.5 t ADT: 1,300

SH 52 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

6.6 MI E OF JCT SH 79, Weld, CO

Built 1961 Load: 85.0 t ADT: 650

Wagonwheel Gap Rd

Good

Over: Four Mile Creek

0.5 Mi E of Bow Mnt. Rd, Boulder, CO

Built 2019 Load: 85.9 t ADT: 407

MCKAY ROAD

Good

Over: GRANGE HALL CREEK

.35 MI NORTH OF 104TH AVE, Adams, CO

Built 2005 Load: 85.9 t ADT: 14,424

Poncha Springs Ln

Good

Over: South Arkansas River

0.1 Mi S OF US 50, Chaffee, CO

Built 2014 Load: 86.2 t ADT: 475

SH 83 RAMP

Good

Over: Multi-use Path

0.1 MI SW ARAPAHOE ROAD, Arapahoe, CO

Built 2015 Load: 86.5 t ADT: 41,000

US 287 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

22 MI N OF OKLA SL, Baca, CO

Built 1980 Load: 86.5 t ADT: 2,900

JACKPOT DRIVE

Good

Over: WEST SAND CREEK TRIB.

JUST W OF CHARLOTTE PKWY, El Paso, CO

Built 1996 Load: 86.9 t ADT: 1,714

RAMP TO I 25 NBND

Good

Over: BOX ELDER CRK OVERFLOW R

IN FORT COLLINS, Larimer, CO

Built 1985 Load: 87.0 t ADT: 894

Showing 8,351-8,400 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.