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 24 ML

Good

Over: SAND CREEK

S OF PLATTE ON POWERS BLV, El Paso, CO

Built 1995 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 52,000

US 40 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

9.3 MI SE OF LINCOLN-CHYN, Cheyenne, CO

Built 1986 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,300

US 40 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

10.0 MI SEOF LINCOLN-CHYN, Cheyenne, CO

Built 1986 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,300

US 50 ML

Good

Over: N.FK.SOUTH ARKANSAS RVR

0.1 MI E OF MAYSVILLE, Chaffee, CO

Built 2003 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,800

SH 115 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

8.7 MI NE FREMONT C.L., El Paso, CO

Built 2002 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 8,900

SH 115 ML

Good

Over: BRUSH HOLLOW CREEK

2.2 MI S OF PENROSE, Fremont, CO

Built 2006 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 4,500

SH 96 ML

Good

Over: DRAW

JACKSON HILL EAST, Pueblo, CO

Built 1993 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 970

EB EXIT RAMP

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

0.2 MILES E OF I25, Pueblo, CO

Built 1999 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 303

SH 69 ML

Good

Over: DEMOCRAT GULCH

14 MI N HUERFANO-CUSTER C, Custer, CO

Built 1993 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,100

COUNTY RD 31.9

Good

Over: WET CANYON CREEK

5.7 MI N OF SH 12, Las Animas, CO

Built 1997 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 77

CO RD 73.2/DIAZ ST

Good

Over: ENGLEVILLE CANYON CREEK

.1 MI W SH 160, Las Animas, CO

Built 1994 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 34

COUNTY ROAD 31

Good

Over: STOCK CROSSING

JUST SOUTH OF ROAD 4D, Lincoln, CO

Built 2011 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 63

COUNTY ROAD 38

Good

Over: S FORK ARIKAREE RIVER

0.4 MILE NORTH OF ROAD 3S, Lincoln, CO

Built 2011 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 11

County Road 11

Good

Over: Poudre Valley Canal

0.2 Mi N of Co Rd 62E, Larimer, CO

Built 1986 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 279

County Road 24H

Good

Over: Indian Creek

0.1 Mi W of Co Rd 25E, Larimer, CO

Built 1996 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 1,315

County Road 64

Good

Over: Poudre Valley Canal

0.6 Mi E of Co Rd 11, Larimer, CO

Built 2003 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,015

RAMP TO I 25 SBND

Good

Over: DRAW R

16.8 MI NO OF WALSENBURG, Huerfano, CO

Built 1965 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 7,000

COUNTY ROAD 23

Good

Over: PERSIGO WASH

.25 MI N OF RD I, Mesa, CO

Built 1980 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,266

County Road Q

Good

Over: Badger Creek

0.1 Mi E of Co Rd 21.5, Morgan, CO

Built 2006 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 182

County Road U

Good

Over: Bijou Canal

0.4 Mi West of Co Rd 1, Morgan, CO

Built 2007 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 50

HOOD PARK ROAD

Good

Over: PEDESTRIAN / SKIER

CITY STREET - HOOD PARK, San Miguel, CO

Built 1990 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 58

MTN VILLAGE BLV

Good

Over: PEDESTRIAN

CITY STREET- MTN VILLAGE, San Miguel, CO

Built 2019 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 693

US 550 ML

Good

Over: ROADWAY GAME UNDERPASS

3 MI N. OF HERMOSA, La Plata, CO

Built 1977 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 3,200

US 160 ML

Good

Over: CANAL

@ BLANCA 21 MI E OF ALAM, Costilla, CO

Built 1970 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 5,000

CITY ST DIKE ROAD

Good

Over: FORT LYON SLUICE DITCH

2 MI NW JACKSON AVE, Otero, CO

Built 2000 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 701

COUNTY ROAD 804

Good

Over: GAUSSION CANYON

3.6 MI SW OF SH 109, Otero, CO

Built 1985 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 26

IRR# US 550 ML

Good

Over: DRAINAGE/GAME CROSSING

0.6 MI N OF NEW MEXICO, La Plata, CO

Built 1999 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 8,100

SH 142 ML

Good

Over: RITO SECO CREEK

IN SAN LUIS, Costilla, CO

Built 1936 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 440

County Road 100

Good

Over: Coalbank Creek

0.6 Mi E of Co Rd 19, Weld, CO

Built 1998 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,396

County Road 100

Good

Over: Spring Creek

0.9 Mi E of Co Rd 23, Weld, CO

Built 1998 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,390

ENT TO CITY PARK

Good

Over: S. BRANCH HYLAND CREEK

JUST NORTH OF 104TH AVE, Jefferson, CO

Built 1998 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 919

FEDERAL BLVD

Good

Over: RANCH CREEK

N OF 120TH AVE ON FEDERAL, Adams, CO

Built 2002 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 10,952

County Road R

Good

Over: Gordon Creek

0.85 Mi. N. of Co. Rd. 2, Washington, CO

Built 1988 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 30

FDR 314

Poor

Over: N FK CRYSTAL RV

1.7 MI SE OF CRYSTAL, Gunnison, CO

Built 1970 ADT: 5

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

88TH AVENUE

Poor

Over: KIOWA CREEK

0.1 MI E OF WOLF CREEK RD, Adams, CO

Built 1950 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 532

IRR# CO RD 500

Poor

Over: CAT CREEK

NEAR CAMADO, Archuleta, CO

Built 1927 Load: 4.7 t ADT: 36

COUNTY ROAD 8

Poor

Over: FT. LYON CANAL

1.3 MI N OF SH 194, Bent, CO

Built 1987 Load: 5.1 t ADT: 1

COUNTY ROAD 67

Poor

Over: EIGHT MILE CREEK

12.4 MI N OF CR 123, Fremont, CO

Built 1952 Load: 5.1 t ADT: 28

COUNTY ROAD 27

Poor

Over: ARKANSAS RIVER

.1 MI N OF US 50, Fremont, CO

Built 1907 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 41

County Road 71

Poor

Over: Spring Canyon Creek

0.9 Mi N of Co Rd 64, Logan, CO

Built 1940 Load: 5.7 t ADT: 126

COUNTY ROAD 430

Poor

Over: CONEJOS RIVER

8 MI N OF SH 17, Conejos, CO

Built 1960 Load: 6.0 t ADT: 6

COUNTY ROAD 185.0

Poor

Over: TRIB. WEST CARRIZO CREEK

5.8 MI S OF SH 160, Las Animas, CO

Built 1935 Load: 6.2 t ADT: 18

County Road 104

Poor

Over: Skull Creek

1.2 Mi West of US Hwy 40, Moffat, CO

Built 1930 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 23

COUNTY RD 105.5

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

1 MI SE OF CR 12.5, Las Animas, CO

Built 1930 Load: 6.5 t ADT: 10

Showing 8,501-8,550 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.