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

EL PASO BLVD

Fair

Over: BECKERS LN TRIB

0.1 MI W OF BECKERS LANE, El Paso, CO

Built 1989 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 984

COUNTY RD 10.5

Fair

Over: COMANCHE CANAL

AT CR TT and CR 10.5, Prowers, CO

Built 1960 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 21

COUNTY ROAD 7N

Fair

Over: RIO GRANDE CANAL

5.9 MI E OF DEL NORTE, Rio Grande, CO

Built 1956 Load: 26.8 t ADT: 487

SOLAR ROAD

Fair

Over: MONTROSE AND DELTA CANAL

1 M W OF US 550, Montrose, CO

Built 1992 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 436

CTY RD UNCOMPAHGRE

Fair

Over: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER

0.3 MI E OF US550, Montrose, CO

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 413

I 25 SERVICE RD

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK SR

3.8 MI S OF WYOMING S.L., Weld, CO

Built 1963 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 30

BRIGHTON BLVD

Fair

Over: OBRIAN CANAL

0.2 MI N OF 84TH AVE, Adams, CO

Built 1992 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 4,190

ILIFF AVE

Fair

Over: WEST TOLLGATE CREEK

0.3 MI E OF BUCKLEY RD, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1980 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 32,075

SH 144 ML

Fair

Over: SOUTH PLATTE RIVER

4.7 MI E OF JCT US 34, Morgan, CO

Built 2001 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 410

DAHLIA ST

Fair

Over: HIGHLINE CANAL

DAHLIA SOUTH OF EASTMAN A, Denver, CO

Built 1952 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,902

FLORIDA AVENUE

Fair

Over: HIGHLINE CANAL

0.3 MI W OF PARKER ROAD, Denver, CO

Built 1994 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 10,425

US 6 ML WBND

Fair

Over: BURLINGTON CANAL

0.3 MI W OF JCT I-76, Adams, CO

Built 1948 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 9,500

US 385 ML

Fair

Over: BLACK WOLF CREEK

10.7 MI N OF JCT US 36, Yuma, CO

Built 1974 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 720

COUNTY ROAD 15

Fair

Over: NEWLIN CREEK

4.4 MI SE OF SH 67, Fremont, CO

Built 1950 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 35

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: DRAW

6.1 MI E. OF GENOA, Lincoln, CO

Built 1975 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 4,800

CR350/VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: RITTER ARROYO

1 MI S OF US160, Huerfano, CO

Built 1993 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 56

RAMP TO I 25 NBND

Fair

Over: FOUNTAIN CREEK

0.8 MI N. OF JCT I25, El Paso, CO

Built 1990 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 56,500

I 25 ML SBND

Fair

Over: DRAW

6.4 MI SE OF JCT US 85, El Paso, CO

Built 1958 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 19,000

SH 145 ML

Fair

Over: GOODENOUGH GULCH

7 MI E. OF NORWOOD, San Miguel, CO

Built 1939 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,900

County Road 18E

Fair

Over: Dry Creek

1.8 Mi E of Co Rd 31, Larimer, CO

Built 1984 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,621

County Road 43F

Fair

Over: Little Thompson River

0.2 Mi N of Co Rd 4F, Larimer, CO

Built 1991 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 29

County Road 17

Fair

Over: Lay Creek

0.5 Mi South of US Hwy 40, Moffat, CO

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 60

SH 112 ML

Fair

Over: FARMERS UNION CANAL

IN CENTER 2 MI E OF US285, Rio Grande, CO

Built 1938 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,300

COUNTY ROAD 66

Fair

Over: I 25 ML

3.3 MI N. OF AGUILAR, Las Animas, CO

Built 1959 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3

COUNTY ROAD 18.75

Fair

Over: OTERO CANAL

.5 MI N OF CR DD, Otero, CO

Built 1970 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 74

SH 151 ML

Fair

Over: DEVIL CREEK

5.3 MI NW OF ALLISON, La Plata, CO

Built 1980 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 1,500

County Road 5

Fair

Over: White River

100 Ft S of St Hwy 64, Rio Blanco, CO

Built 1976 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 435

County Road 27.8

Fair

Over: South Platte River

0.8 Mi. No. of Co. Rd. 28, Sedgwick, CO

Built 1985 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 447

BLACK GORE DRIVE

Fair

Over: GORE CREEK

0.2 MI NE OF MAIN GORE DR, Eagle, CO

Built 1988 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 131

County Road 3

Fair

Over: Sullivan Ditch

0.4 Mi N of Co Rd 12, Weld, CO

Built 2003 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 2,247

County Road 8

Fair

Over: Neres Canal

1.4 Mi E of Co Rd 41, Weld, CO

Built 1974 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 3,578

County Road 35

Fair

Over: Union Ditch

0.5 Mi N of Co Rd 48, Weld, CO

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 157

County Road 83

Fair

Over: Crow Creek

0.8 Mi S of Co Rd 100, Weld, CO

Built 1992 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 40

LA SALLE ROAD

Fair

Over: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER

.5 MI W OF SH 50, Montrose, CO

Built 1991 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 3,399

COUNTY ROAD 6250

Fair

Over: MONTROSE AND DELTA CANAL

1.1 MI S OF SH 90, Montrose, CO

Built 1925 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 579

Hazel Street

Fair

Over: Local Drainage

Just S of Midway Blvd, Broomfield, CO

Built 1985 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 1,346

LEV 5 SW TERM RAMP

Fair

Over: 84TH AVENUE

SW CORNER TERM BLDG, Denver, CO

Built 2014 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 6,216

US 36 ML

Fair

Over: LONE TREE GULCH

11.3 MI E OF BYERS, Adams, CO

Built 1937 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 790

I 70 FRONTAGE RD

Fair

Over: DRAW SR

3 MI W of LIMON, Elbert, CO

Built 1934 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 2

COUNTY ROAD 550

Fair

Over: MUDDY CREEK

0.7 MI W OF GARDNER, Huerfano, CO

Built 1987 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 266

SH 94 ML

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

8.4 MI W OF PUNKIN CENTER, Lincoln, CO

Built 1963 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 390

US 50 ML WBND

Fair

Over: OTERO CANAL

4.2 MI EAST OF FOWLER, Otero, CO

Built 1998 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 2,350

SH 101 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

3.7 MI SOUTH OF JCT US 50, Bent, CO

Built 1936 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 450

COUNTY ROAD 17

Fair

Over: BIG SALT WASH

.7 MI N OF RD K, Mesa, CO

Built 1991 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 1,108

County Road 31

Fair

Over: Collins Lateral Canal

0.1 Mi N of Co Rd 86, Weld, CO

Built 1995 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 89

County Road 40

Fair

Over: Platte Valley Canal

0.7 Mi E of Co Rd 41, Weld, CO

Built 1996 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 94

COUNTY ROAD S

Fair

Over: LOST CANYON CREEK

2.7 MI SE OF DOLORES, Montezuma, CO

Built 1977 Load: 27.1 t ADT: 278

SH 257 ML

Fair

Over: LOVELAND-GREELEY CANAL

2.3 MI NO OF MILLIKEN, Weld, CO

Built 1961 Load: 27.1 t ADT: 8,500

I70 NB RMP .75 MI.

Fair

Over: GLOBEVILLE RMP-NB I25

0.75 Miles South of I-70, Denver, CO

Built 1994 Load: 27.1 t ADT: 75,500

US 40 ML

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

8.1 MI E OF JCT US 6, Jefferson, CO

Built 1973 Load: 27.1 t ADT: 480

Showing 1,501-1,550 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.