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)

Counties (64)

Adams 535 Alamosa 16 Arapahoe 391 Archuleta 44 Baca 106 Bent 68 Boulder 311 Broomfield 66 Chaffee 84 Cheyenne 61 Clear Creek 77 Conejos 62 Costilla 39 Crowley 28 Custer 20 Delta 64 Denver 458 Dolores 28 Douglas 263 Eagle 174 El Paso 686 Elbert 85 Fremont 137 Garfield 167 Gilpin 19 Grand 88 Gunnison 100 Hinsdale 31 Huerfano 94 Jackson 47 Jefferson 464 Kiowa 31 Kit Carson 130 La Plata 102 Lake 17 Larimer 559 Las Animas 207 Lincoln 129 Logan 182 Mesa 319 Mineral 26 Moffat 80 Montezuma 61 Montrose 118 Morgan 192 Otero 195 Ouray 39 Park 55 Phillips 27 Pitkin 62 Prowers 137 Pueblo 264 Rio Blanco 54 Rio Grande 71 Routt 96 Saguache 41 San Juan 13 San Miguel 59 Sedgwick 64 Summit 57 Teller 27 Washington 75 Weld 614 Yuma 49

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.

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

All Bridges in Colorado

COUNTY ROAD P

Fair

Over: CULEBRA EASTDALE CANAL

1 MI W OF SH 159, Costilla, CO

Built 1992 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 374

S. SIMMS ST

Fair

Over: US 285 ML

IN DENVER, Jefferson, CO

Built 2003 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 6,717

US 24 ML EBND

Fair

Over: UNION BLVD

US24 HANCOCK TO QUIVIRA, El Paso, CO

Built 1993 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 21,000

COUNTY RD 41.6

Fair

Over: APISHAPA RIVER

0.2 MI S OF CR 42, Las Animas, CO

Built 1993 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 59

COUNTY ROAD 36.3

Fair

Over: GOVT HIGHLINE CANAL

.8 MI N OF RD G, Mesa, CO

Built 1999 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 36

COUNTY ROAD A

Fair

Over: RIO GRANDE CANAL

1.0 MI W OF CR 41, Saguache, CO

Built 1987 Load: 39.4 t ADT: 21

Chase Street

Fair

Over: Local Drainage

At 120th Avenue, Broomfield, CO

Built 2000 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 3,372

I 76 ML EBND

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD 33

3.7 MI NE OF JCT US 34-B, Morgan, CO

Built 1964 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 5,500

I 76 ML WBND

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD 33

5 MI E. OF BRUSH, Morgan, CO

Built 1964 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 5,500

I 76 ML WBND

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD Q

MERINO EXIT, Washington, CO

Built 1964 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 5,500

I 76 ML EBND

Fair

Over: COUNTY ROAD Q

MERINO EXIT, Washington, CO

Built 1964 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 5,500

SH 119 N/EBND

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

IN BOULDER, Boulder, CO

Built 1958 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 4,800

PENA BLVD

Fair

Over: HAUL ROAD

W TERMINAL OUTBOUND, Denver, CO

Built 2010 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 22,084

I76 ML EBND

Fair

Over: I 270 ML

1.1 MI NE OF JCT I25, Adams, CO

Built 2003 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 42,000

SPENCER ROAD

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

0.4 MI E OF PEYTON HWY, El Paso, CO

Built 1999 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 92

I 25 ML SBND

Fair

Over: COLORADO AVE SPRUCE ST

IN COLORADO SPRINGS, El Paso, CO

Built 2008 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 58,000

SH 16 EBND ML

Fair

Over: CREWS GULCH

0.3 MI E OF SECURITY INT., El Paso, CO

Built 1974 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 18,500

US 50 ML

Fair

Over: WILDHORSE CREEK

1/2 MI W OF HOLLY, Prowers, CO

Built 1960 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 1,900

County Road 79

Fair

Over: N Sterling Outlet Canal

0.3 Mi N of Co Rd 70, Logan, CO

Built 1991 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 60

SH 370 ML

Fair

Over: MONTE VISTA CANAL

1.9 MI E OF JCT SH 15, Rio Grande, CO

Built 1955 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 350

COUNTY ROAD 1

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

JUST S OF CR 11, Teller, CO

Built 1930 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 2,901

County Road 45

Fair

Over: Overflow of Poudre River

0.1 Mi N of Co Rd 58.5, Weld, CO

Built 1986 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 754

County Road 106

Fair

Over: Little Owl Creek

0.5 Mi E of Co Rd 35, Weld, CO

Built 1992 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 5

HAVANA STREET

Fair

Over: TODD CREEK

.5 MI S OF 160TH AVE, Adams, CO

Built 1998 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 1,508

EMMA ST.

Fair

Over: US 287 ML

IN LAFAYETTE, Boulder, CO

Built 1994 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 3,969

SH 2 ML

Fair

Over: I 76 ML

JCT I 76 NE OF DENVER, Adams, CO

Built 1999 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 14,372

SH 13 ML

Fair

Over: HUBBARD GULCH

1.4 MI N OF JCT SH 6, Garfield, CO

Built 1980 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 5,700

SH 8 ML

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

IN MORRISON, Jefferson, CO

Built 1993 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 4,000

SH 79 ML

Fair

Over: I 70 ML

11.4 MI E OF JCT US 36, Adams, CO

Built 1959 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 5,900

US 36 ML

Fair

Over: ARICKAREE RIVER

JUST E OF COPE, Washington, CO

Built 1957 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 870

Stuart Street

Fair

Over: Spring Creek

0.1 Mi E of Whedbee St., Larimer, CO

Built 1992 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 3,770

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: DRAW

1.0 MI E OF RIVERBEND, Elbert, CO

Built 1958 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 5,500

I 70 ML EBND

Fair

Over: Tributary of Agate Creek

11 MI E OF DEER TRAIL, Elbert, CO

Built 1958 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 5,500

US 24 ML

Fair

Over: UP RR

0.2 MI E ELBERT-LINCOLN C, Lincoln, CO

Built 2000 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 3,000

I 25 ML SBND

Fair

Over: DRAW

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

Built 1958 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 19,000

I 25 ML SBND

Fair

Over: ST CHARLES RIVER

7.4 MI S OF PUEBLO, Pueblo, CO

Built 1989 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 7,500

US 50 ML

Fair

Over: DITCH

5.4 MI W OF ARKANSAS ST., Prowers, CO

Built 1977 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 1,900

County Road 53

Fair

Over: Yampa River

3.8 Mi. So. of US Hwy 40, Moffat, CO

Built 1992 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 25

County Road 2

Fair

Over: Neres Canal

0.9 Mi E of CR 39, Weld, CO

Built 2007 Load: 39.6 t ADT: 768

IRR# COUNTY RD 307

Fair

Over: FLORIDA RIVER

2.6 MI SW OF LA PLATA APT, La Plata, CO

Built 1989 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 130

SH 113 ML

Fair

Over: LEWIS CREEK

10 MI NORTH OF JCT SH 138, Logan, CO

Built 1989 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 1,100

RENSSELAER DRIVE

Fair

Over: RALSTON CREEK

BTWN IRIS AND BROOKS, Jefferson, CO

Built 1953 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 2,736

17TH PLACE

Fair

Over: TOLL GATE CREEK

0.1 MI E OF FITZSIMMONS P, Adams, CO

Built 2012 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 16,966

US 287 ML

Fair

Over: FOSSIL CREEK

7.3 MI N OF JCT US 34, Larimer, CO

Built 1975 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 31,000

BUFFALO PARK ROAD

Fair

Over: CUB CREEK

JUST EAST OF CR 73, Jefferson, CO

Built 1979 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 1,089

PRADERA PKWY

Fair

Over: SCOTT GULCH

2.0 MI NW OF PARKER RD, Douglas, CO

Built 2002 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 6,623

CURTIS ROAD

Fair

Over: BLACK SQUIRREL CREEK

3.0 MILES N OF HWY 94, El Paso, CO

Built 1997 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 379

SH 2 Colo. Blvd

Fair

Over: LRT

S. of I-25 at Colo. Blvd, Denver, CO

Built 2005 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 39,000

I 70 ML WBND

Fair

Over: MIDDLE BIJOU CREEK

5.1 MI W OF JCT DEERTRAIL, Arapahoe, CO

Built 1965 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 6,000

County Road 13C

Fair

Over: Big Thompson River

0.1 Mi N of St Hwy 402A, Larimer, CO

Built 1983 Load: 39.7 t ADT: 2,840

Showing 4,051-4,100 of 8,965 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
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.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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.