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

County Road 491

Fair

Over: Colorado River

E of Winding River Resort, Grand, CO

Built 1985 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 631

67TH PLACE

Fair

Over: FARMERS HIGHLINE CANAL

JUST E OF WESTWOODS CIR, Jefferson, CO

Built 1993 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 183

I 76 ML

Fair

Over: 96TH AVE

1.7 MI NE OF JCT US 6, Adams, CO

Built 1976 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 74,000

SH 74 ML

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

S.E.EDGE OF EVERGREEN, Jefferson, CO

Built 1959 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 6,000

County Road 62

Fair

Over: Sand Creek

0.7 Mi E CR 43/N Airport, Weld, CO

Built 1995 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 185

COUNTY ROAD 25

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

3.3 MI E OF JCT US 6 ML, Mesa, CO

Built 1965 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 3,163

COUNTY ROAD 27

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

0.8 MI W OF HORIZON DRIVE, Mesa, CO

Built 1965 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 3,474

SH 348 ML

Fair

Over: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER

In Olathe, Montrose, CO

Built 1966 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 2,600

SH 109 ML

Fair

Over: FORT LYON CANAL

1 MI N OF LAJUNTA, Otero, CO

Built 1962 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 2,300

COUNTY ROAD LL

Fair

Over: AMITY CANAL

1.1 MI W OF CR 33, Prowers, CO

Built 1986 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 49

County Road 12A

Fair

Over: North Fork White River

0.1 Mi S of Co Rd 8, Rio Blanco, CO

Built 1986 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 91

County Road 43

Fair

Over: Lone Tree Creek

0.35 Mi N of Co Rd 70, Weld, CO

Built 1998 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 579

County Road 59

Fair

Over: South Platte River

0.25 Mi. E. of Co. Rd. Q, Washington, CO

Built 1987 Load: 29.5 t ADT: 53

GUNNISON ROAD

Fair

Over: UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER

1 MI W OF SH 50, Montrose, CO

Built 1991 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 146

I 70 WBND

Fair

Over: ANVIL POINTS ROAD

8.5 MI WEST OF PARACHUTE, Garfield, CO

Built 1978 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 10,000

SH 149 ML

Fair

Over: RIO GRANDE

2.5 MI SE OF CREEDE, Mineral, CO

Built 1959 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 1,400

US 287 ML

Fair

Over: CLAY CREEK

12 MILES S. OF LAMAR, Prowers, CO

Built 1966 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 3,000

COUNTY ROAD T

Fair

Over: EAST SALT CREEK

.2 MI W OF RD 10, Mesa, CO

Built 1988 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 23

County Road 26

Fair

Over: Dead Horse Draw

2.3 Mi N of Co Rd AA, Morgan, CO

Built 1991 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 36

County Road 34N

Fair

Over: Vermillion Creek

SE of St Hwy 318 mp 15, Moffat, CO

Built 1987 Load: 29.6 t ADT: 35

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

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

Built 1963 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 10,000

I 25 ML SBND

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK

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

Built 1963 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 10,000

COUNTY ROAD 30

Fair

Over: COMANCHE CREEK

.8 MILE W OF CR 157, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1987 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 392

I 76 ML EBND

Fair

Over: 144TH AVE

2.8 MI. W. OF JCT SH 7, Adams, CO

Built 1994 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 20,500

I 76 ML WBND

Fair

Over: 144TH AVE

2.8 Mi W of SH-7, Adams, CO

Built 1994 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 20,500

RUSH ROAD

Fair

Over: STEELS FORK CREEK

1.1 MI SOUTH OF RUSH, El Paso, CO

Built 2001 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 325

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: SODA CREEK ROAD

6.4 MI E OF JCT US 6, Jefferson, CO

Built 1971 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 22,000

SH 83 RAMP TO I225

Fair

Over: I225 SH83 RAMP

IN AURORA, Arapahoe, CO

Built 2002 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 26,000

SH 71 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

18.3 MI NORTH OF LIMON, Lincoln, CO

Built 1986 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 1,300

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: N CHANNEL-COLORADO RVR

10.5 MI. W. OF JCT. U.S., Mesa, CO

Built 1970 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 5,500

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: N CHANNEL-COLORADO RVR

5.8 MI. E. JCT. US 6 MACK, Mesa, CO

Built 1970 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 5,500

US 50 ML

Fair

Over: BRUSH CREEK

IN SARGENTS, Saguache, CO

Built 1939 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 2,400

SH 141 ML

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

@ JCT SH 90, Montrose, CO

Built 1972 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 560

COUNTY RD 53.7

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY SALADO CREEK

1.2 MI S OF COUNTY LINE, Las Animas, CO

Built 1950 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 80

County Road 6

Fair

Over: N. Sterling Inlet Canal

0.4 M. E. of Co. Rd. 17.7, Logan, CO

Built 1989 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 134

COUNTY ROAD 35

Fair

Over: GRAND VALLEY CANAL

ROAD F, Mesa, CO

Built 1966 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 569

County Road C

Fair

Over: Buck Creek

1.8 Mi E of Co Rd 34, Morgan, CO

Built 1988 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 10

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: DRAW

1.2 MI N OF AGUILAR INT., Las Animas, CO

Built 1969 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 5,500

SH 109 ML

Fair

Over: DRAW

9.5 MI N. OF KIM, Las Animas, CO

Built 1935 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 330

COUNTY ROAD 38

Fair

Over: AMITY CANAL

0.7 MI N OF CR KK, Prowers, CO

Built 1994 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 6

COUNTY ROAD 11N

Fair

Over: FARMERS UNION CANAL

.5 MI E OF COUNTY ROAD 2, Rio Grande, CO

Built 1948 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 84

County Road 4

Fair

Over: White River

0.76 Mi W of Co Rd 8, Rio Blanco, CO

Built 1984 Load: 29.7 t ADT: 204

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: FRONTAGE ROAD

9.9 MI S OF WYOMING S.L., Larimer, CO

Built 1963 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 12,500

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: FRONTAGE ROAD

8.6 MI S OF WYOMING S.L., Larimer, CO

Built 1963 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 12,500

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: FRONTAGE ROAD

7.6 MI S OF WYOMING S.L., Larimer, CO

Built 1963 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 12,500

I 25 ML SBND

Fair

Over: LARIMER COUNTY CANAL

5.2 MI N OF JCT SH 14, Larimer, CO

Built 1966 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 14,000

COUNTY ROAD 6

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF HACKBERRY CRK

.1 MI S OF CR WW, Baca, CO

Built 1960 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 3

CHAMPA ST

Fair

Over: CHERRY CREEK

CHAMPA AT SPEER BLVD, Denver, CO

Built 1976 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 3,406

WB 20TH ST

Fair

Over: S PLATTE RIVER

E OF I-25 AT S PLATTE R, Denver, CO

Built 1994 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 7,167

NB PENA BLVD

Fair

Over: THIRD CREEK

3.5 MI EAST OF E-470, Denver, CO

Built 1992 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 55,210

Showing 1,951-2,000 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.