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)

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.

All Bridges in Colorado

US 6 ML

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

US 6 OVER CLEAR CREEK, Clear Creek, CO

Built 1998 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 5,600

COUNTY ROAD 27

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

22.4 MI E OF FLAGLER, Kit Carson, CO

Built 1965 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 38

COUNTY ROAD 30

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

0.5 MILE W OF STRATTON, Kit Carson, CO

Built 1965 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 419

COUNTY ROAD 34

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

3.5 MI. E OF JCT S.H. 57, Kit Carson, CO

Built 1965 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 40

COUNTY ROAD 37

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

6.5 MI. E. OF JCT. SH 57, Kit Carson, CO

Built 1965 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 46

County Road 245

Fair

Over: Main Elk Creek

3.7 Mi NW of US Hwy 6, Garfield, CO

Built 1950 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 653

SH 141 ML

Fair

Over: ATKINSON CREEK

2 MI WEST OF URAVAN, Montrose, CO

Built 1956 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 260

SH 141 ML

Fair

Over: NATURITA CREEK

JUST EAST OF NATURITA, Montrose, CO

Built 1954 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,200

SH 149 ML

Fair

Over: HENSON CREEK

LAKE CITY, Hinsdale, CO

Built 1954 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,600

County Road 67

Fair

Over: South Platte River

1.7 Mi N of I-76, Logan, CO

Built 1983 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 322

County Road 30

Fair

Over: Beaver Creek

1.2 Mi N of Co Rd I, Morgan, CO

Built 1989 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 36

COUNTY ROAD 24

Fair

Over: CATLIN CANAL

.9 MI S OF SH 10, Otero, CO

Built 1967 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 194

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: US 160C

TRINIDAD GODDARD AVE., Las Animas, CO

Built 1958 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 8,000

US 160 ML

Fair

Over: ALKALI CREEK

28 MI E OF JCT US 350, Las Animas, CO

Built 1940 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 180

County Road 102

Fair

Over: Owl Creek

0.75 Mi E of Co Rd 41, Weld, CO

Built 1974 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 24

HEADLIGHT ROAD

Fair

Over: KIOWA CREEK

0.5 MI NORTH OF ROAD 160, Adams, CO

Built 1993 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 23

SH34 TO I 76

Fair

Over: I 76 ML R

4.2 MI W OF JCT SH 52, Morgan, CO

Built 1995 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 2,099

FLORIDA AVE

Fair

Over: SOUTH PLATTE RIVER

JUST E OF S PLATTE RIV DR, Denver, CO

Built 1956 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 8,951

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

IN FLORISSANT, Teller, CO

Built 1936 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 5,400

US 50 ML WBND

Fair

Over: SH 194 ML

E END OF LAS ANIMAS, Bent, CO

Built 1974 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 2,150

COUNTY ROAD O

Fair

Over: EAST FORK BIG SALT WASH

.7 MI E OF RD 18, Mesa, CO

Built 1991 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 205

COUNTY ROAD 5

Fair

Over: AMITY CANAL

.3 MI N OF US 50, Prowers, CO

Built 1950 Load: 21.9 t ADT: 176

County Road 23

Fair

Over: Dove Creek Canal Reach 1

Dove Creek canal sta. 157, Montezuma, CO

Built 1985 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK CIMARRON RIV

27 MI S OF MONTROSE, Gunnison, CO

Built 1987 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 187

FDR 526

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

19 MILES NNE OF DOLORES, Dolores, CO

Built 1975 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 35

JEWELL AVENUE

Fair

Over: EAST TOLLGATE CREEK

0.7 MI E OF GENOA ST, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1999 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 12,981

RAMP TO US34 ML EB

Fair

Over: US 85 ML NBND R

S.E. CORNER OF GREELEY, Weld, CO

Built 1975 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,784

COUNTY ROAD 225

Fair

Over: SOUTH ARKANSAS RIVER

.2 MI SW OF SH 50, Chaffee, CO

Built 1954 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 49

I 76 ML

Fair

Over: SEEP CANAL

6 MI SW OF JCT SH 52, Weld, CO

Built 1954 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 23,000

RAMP TO I 70 EBND

Fair

Over: I 25 ML RAMPS R

IN DENVER, Denver, CO

Built 1993 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60,500

I 25 ML

Fair

Over: RR SPUR

JUST S OF 6th AVE INTCHNG, Denver, CO

Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 215,000

SH 115 ML

Fair

Over: ARKANSAS RIVER

9th St 0.2 Mi S of US 50, Fremont, CO

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 12,000

County Road 29.5

Fair

Over: S. Platte River Overflow

0.7 Mi. N. of Co. Rd. 12, Logan, CO

Built 1986 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 76

COUNTY ROAD G

Fair

Over: GOVT. HIGHLINE CANAL

.1 MI E OF RD 34, Mesa, CO

Built 1985 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,233

US 160 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

16 MI W OF WALSENBURG, Huerfano, CO

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,100

COUNTY ROAD 2S

Fair

Over: MONTE VISTA CANAL

0.5 MI E OF CR 28, Rio Grande, CO

Built 1950 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 142

County Road 55

Fair

Over: Latham Ditch

0.5 Mi N of Co Rd 52, Weld, CO

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 237

County Road 90

Fair

Over: Pierce Lateral Canal

0.5 Mi E of Co Rd 31, Weld, CO

Built 1982 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 871

County Road 122

Fair

Over: Crow Creek

300 Ft E of Co Rd 85, Weld, CO

Built 1993 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 76

152ND AVENUE

Fair

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

1.6 MILES W OF WATKINS RD, Adams, CO

Built 1985 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 3,919

SH 14 ML

Fair

Over: YOUNGS GULCH

13 MI EAST OF ROAD TO EGG, Larimer, CO

Built 1950 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 1,100

COUNTY ROAD 37

Fair

Over: ANTELOPE CREEK

.9 MI N OF CR HH, Baca, CO

Built 1960 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 89

SMITH ROAD

Fair

Over: QUEBEC STREET

0.5 MI SOUTH OF I70, Denver, CO

Built 1971 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 5,770

SANDOWN ROAD/ 40TH

Fair

Over: QUEBEC STREET

0.4 MI SOUTH OF I70, Denver, CO

Built 1971 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 3,007

DAYTON ST

Fair

Over: HIGHLINE CANAL

DAYTON AT E KENTUCKY RD, Denver, CO

Built 1972 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 10,288

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: ACADEMY BLVD

AT INT. OF ACADEMY &, El Paso, CO

Built 1971 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 28,500

US 50 ML

Fair

Over: SPAULDING CREEK

1 MI W OF PONCHA SPGS., Chaffee, CO

Built 1938 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 5,200

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: CLOVER DITCH

3.3 MI N / US85 FOUNTAIN, El Paso, CO

Built 1956 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 23,500

COUNTY ROAD 53

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.5 MILES SOUTH OF ROAD G, Kit Carson, CO

Built 1989 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 17

I 25 SERVICE RD

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK SR

S. Edge of Pueblo, Pueblo, CO

Built 1931 Load: 22.1 t ADT: 474

Showing 801-850 of 8,965 bridges

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.

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.