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

SCOTTSBURG ROAD

Fair

Over: THIRD CREEK TRIB

S OF TERMINAL BLDG, Denver, CO

Built 1992 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 24,833

CALHAN HWY

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

1.5 MI N OF CALHAN, El Paso, CO

Built 1986 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 2,780

YODER ROAD

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

JUST S OF WASHINGTON ROAD, El Paso, CO

Built 1999 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 45

I 70 ML

Fair

Over: GORE CREEK

0.3 MI E OF JCT US 6 + 24, Eagle, CO

Built 1970 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 33,000

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: FRISCO MAIN STREET

SW END OF FRISCO, Summit, CO

Built 1971 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 13,500

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: FRISCO MAIN STREET

SW END OF FRISCO, Summit, CO

Built 1971 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 13,500

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: OLD GOLDEN ROAD

0.3 MI E OF JCT US 40, Jefferson, CO

Built 1968 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 43,500

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: LAKE CREEK

3.0 MI E. OF JCT SH 24, Lincoln, CO

Built 1975 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 6,000

COUNTY ROAD 43

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

ARRIBA INTERCHANGE, Lincoln, CO

Built 1974 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 683

SH 114 ML

Fair

Over: TOMICHI CREEK

0.2 MI SE OF JCT US 50, Gunnison, CO

Built 2009 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 470

COUNTY ROAD 53

Fair

Over: BONNY CREEK

0.5 MILES SOUTH CR NN, Kit Carson, CO

Built 1992 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 12

County Road 22

Fair

Over: Pawnee Ditch

0.9 Mi. E. of Co. Rd. 31, Logan, CO

Built 1995 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 289

COUNTY ROAD 11

Fair

Over: ROCKY FORD HIGHLINE CANA

1.3 MI S OF SH 50, Otero, CO

Built 1980 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 153

WB LINCOLN AVENUE

Fair

Over: NEWLIN GULCH

0.3 MI EAST OF JORDAN RD, Douglas, CO

Built 2000 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 12,260

COUNTY ROAD LL

Fair

Over: AMITY CANAL

2.0 MI W OF CR 33, Prowers, CO

Built 1985 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 40

County Road 45

Fair

Over: Neres Canal

0.4 Mi North of Co Rd 8, Weld, CO

Built 1998 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 100

County Road 59

Fair

Over: South Platte River

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

Built 1989 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 57

County Road LL

Fair

Over: Gordon Creek

1.4 Mi. N. of Co. Rd. 5, Washington, CO

Built 1988 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 74

County Road QQ

Fair

Over: Gordon Creek

0.8 Mi. N. of Co. Rd. 5, Washington, CO

Built 1986 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 27

MARSHALL STREET

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

.29 MI S OF W 52ND AVENUE, Jefferson, CO

Built 1973 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 10,092

County Road CC

Fair

Over: S. Fork Republican River

0.10 Mi N of Co Rd 2, Yuma, CO

Built 1989 Load: 29.8 t ADT: 48

120TH AVENUE

Fair

Over: BADGER CREEK

1.7 MI E OF WINVIEW ROAD, Adams, CO

Built 1998 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 6

WINVIEW ROAD

Fair

Over: BADGER CREEK

0.2 MI N OF 96TH AVE, Adams, CO

Built 1997 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 38

NORTH GATE BLVD WB

Fair

Over: MONUMENT CREEK AND UPRR

0.5 MI WEST OF I-25 EXIT, El Paso, CO

Built 1958 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5,000

KENTUCKY AVE

Fair

Over: UPPER WESTERLY CREEK

0.2 MILE E OF HAVANA STRE, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1972 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,572

US 40 ML

Fair

Over: MT WERNER ROAD

IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Routt, CO

Built 1980 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 23,000

I 76 ML WBND

Fair

Over: TWENTY TWO SLOUGH

14 MI SW OF STERLING EXIT, Logan, CO

Built 1964 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5,500

SH 64 ML

Fair

Over: HAMMOND DRAW

12 MI E OF JCT SH 139, Rio Blanco, CO

Built 1949 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 670

MEXICO AVE

Fair

Over: GOLDSMITH GULCH

E OF MONACO PKWY, Denver, CO

Built 1966 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,158

US 287 ML

Fair

Over: BOULDER CREEK

3 MI N OF JCT SH 7, Boulder, CO

Built 1985 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 24,000

I 70 ML

Fair

Over: BNSF RR UP RR RTD LR

DENVER .4 MI W OF I-25, Denver, CO

Built 1992 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 121,000

FOUNTAIN AVENUE

Fair

Over: FOUNTAIN CREEK

.01 MI WEST OF SH 24, El Paso, CO

Built 2003 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,079

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD 133

W. GLENWOOD INTERCHANGE, Garfield, CO

Built 1970 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 16,500

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: I 70 BUSS RT

EDWARDS INTERCHANGE, Eagle, CO

Built 1970 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 13,000

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: I 70 BUSS RT

EDWARDS INTERCHANGE, Eagle, CO

Built 1970 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 13,000

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: AVON ROAD

AVON INTERCHANGE, Eagle, CO

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 17,000

MCINTYRE ST

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK ACC RD-RR

0.1 MI SOUTH OF SH58, Jefferson, CO

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 6,488

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: ACCESS RD RR SPUR

1/2 MI E OF PARACHUTE, Garfield, CO

Built 1982 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 10,000

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: ACCESS RD & RR SPUR

1/2 MI E OF PARACHUTE, Garfield, CO

Built 1982 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 10,000

SH 65 ML

Fair

Over: PLATEAU CREEK

0.8 MI S OF JCT I 70, Mesa, CO

Built 1965 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,000

US 24 ML WBND

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

EAST OF MURRAY BLVD, El Paso, CO

Built 1975 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 15,000

SH 45 NBND

Fair

Over: UP RR

W. EDGE OF PUEBLO, Pueblo, CO

Built 1974 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 10,000

FIFTH ST.

Fair

Over: ANDERSON ARROYO

JUST W OF MAPLE AVE., Otero, CO

Built 1915 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,767

I 25 ML NBND

Fair

Over: SALADO CREEK

4.2 MI N OF AGUILAR, Las Animas, CO

Built 1969 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5,500

COUNTY ROAD 12

Fair

Over: ROCKY FORD HIGHLINE CANA

.6 MI S OF CR HH, Otero, CO

Built 1989 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 29

CO RD 4A/FS RD 400

Fair

Over: LIME CREEK

3 MI E OF RUEDI RESERVOIR, Pitkin, CO

Built 1955 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 41

LAKEMOOR DRIVE

Fair

Over: FOURMILE CREEK

2.0 MI SE OF CR 11, Teller, CO

Built 1985 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 62

County Road 6

Fair

Over: Fulton Ditch

200 Ft W of Co Rd 29, Weld, CO

Built 1999 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 4,073

County Road 33

Fair

Over: Larimer and Weld Canal

1.3 Mi N of Co Rd 76, Weld, CO

Built 2000 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 3,704

County Road 39

Fair

Over: Union Ditch

.5 Mi N of Co Rd 48.5, Weld, CO

Built 2003 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 67

Showing 2,001-2,050 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.