State profile · Near median Poor share

Montana 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 Montana.

5,224
Public bridges
31.5%
Good condition
6.8%
Poor condition

Montana holds 5,224 public highway bridges (#36 of 52 by inventory) with a 6.81% Poor share (#20 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 6.8% 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 33 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

5,224

Public highway bridges in Montana

Good Condition

31.5%

1,646 bridges rated 7-9

-18.5pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

6.8%

356 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-0.7pp vs national avg 7.5%

Montana vs national bridge condition

Montana - Good condition share 31.5%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Montana - Poor-condition share 22.7%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Montana 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: Montana has 5,224 bridges and a 6.8% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #33 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 (%) MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%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%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%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%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: Montana has 5,224 bridges and a 6.8% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #33 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.

Montana 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

5,224 36th of 54 higher than 18 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 Montana

The highlighted point is Montana: 5,224 bridges and 6.81% in Poor condition, rank #33 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Montana on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Hawaii: 1,195 bridges · 6.53% Poor
  • North Carolina: 19,210 bridges · 6.76% Poor
  • Montana: 5,224 bridges · 6.81% Poor
  • Kentucky: 14,548 bridges · 7.37% Poor
  • New Hampshire: 2,542 bridges · 7.51% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Montana

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 5,224 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Montana’s inventory

State agency holds 46.3% of the 5,224 public highway bridges filed under Montana in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Montana’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 11.7% of the 5,224 bridges with a recorded original year in Montana. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Montana31.5%61.7%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Montana (FHWA NBI)

Counties (56)

Beaverhead 226 Big Horn 135 Blaine 102 Broadwater 37 Carbon 80 Carter 41 Cascade 185 Chouteau 42 Custer 71 Daniels 33 Dawson 109 Deer Lodge 68 Fallon 37 Fergus 158 Flathead 204 Gallatin 210 Garfield 26 Glacier 71 Golden Valley 17 Granite 73 Hill 46 Jefferson 134 Judith Basin 48 Lake 117 Lewis and Clark 200 Liberty 11 Lincoln 190 Madison 97 McCone 44 Meagher 53 Mineral 152 Missoula 206 Musselshell 28 Park 124 Petroleum 26 Phillips 101 Pondera 96 Powder River 23 Powell 113 Prairie 46 Ravalli 148 Richland 97 Roosevelt 57 Rosebud 114 Sanders 120 Sheridan 66 Silver Bow 68 Stillwater 92 Sweet Grass 94 Teton 82 Toole 35 Treasure 26 Valley 104 Wheatland 26 Wibaux 25 Yellowstone 290

Montana 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 Montana on the same metric.

HI

Hawaii

6.53% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,195

NC

North Carolina

6.76% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,210
Selected

MT

Montana

6.81% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,224

KY

Kentucky

7.37% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,548

NH

New Hampshire

7.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,542

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Montana

Six lowest-condition bridges in Montana, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

UPPER HIGHWOOD CR

Poor

Over: HIGHWOOD CREEK 076

4M SE HIGHWOOD, Chouteau, MT

Built 1969 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

ROAD 290 N

Poor

Over: CANADIAN COULEE 036

30M N INVERNESS, Hill, MT

Built 1980 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

BLACK COULEE RD

Poor

Over: BLACK COULEE 072

28M N DODSON, Phillips, MT

Built 1950 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 49

SLEEPY HOLLOW LN

Poor

Over: PRICKLY PEAR CREEK

3 M S MONTANA CITY, Jefferson, MT

Built 2010 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 100

HWY 91 N

Poor

Over: BIG HOLE RIVER 041

22M N DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1940 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 155

CARBINE RD

Poor

Over: PABLO CANAL 026

4M W PABLO, Lake, MT

Built 1986 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 100

All Bridges in Montana

Farm Access

Fair

Over: Frenchtown Main Canal

5 mi NW of Missoula MT, Missoula, MT

Built 1970 ADT: 10

CARMICHAEL ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH BOULDER RIVER

9.5M S JEFFERSON ISLAND, Madison, MT

Built 1999 ADT: 100

E SAGER LANE

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION CANAL

5M S DEER LODGE, Powell, MT

Built 1990 ADT: 100

MAIN BOULDER ROAD

Fair

Over: BOULDER RIVER

40M SOUTH OF SPRINGDALE, Park, MT

Built 1940 ADT: 156

US287

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1 M NW WINSTON, Broadwater, MT

Built 1992 ADT: 6,537

NON MAINTAINED TRL

Fair

Over: BISON CREEK

11M N ELK PARK, Jefferson, MT

Built 1984 ADT: 100

NON MAINTAINED TRL

Fair

Over: BISON CREEK

12M N ELK PARK, Jefferson, MT

Built 1984 ADT: 100

SHIELDS AVE

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

BUTTE-SHIELDS AVE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1958 ADT: 6,492

LULU PASS TRAIL RD

Fair

Over: POLAR STAR CREEK

6 M NE COOKE CITY, Park, MT

Built 2002 ADT: 100

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: WISE RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1984 ADT: 4

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: DORIS CREEK

WEST SIDE SOUTHFORK, Flathead, MT

Built 1976 ADT: 500

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: TUNNEL CREEK

PAOLA CREEK AREA, Flathead, MT

Built 1924 ADT: 5

Forest Road

Fair

Over: RYLE CREEK

Ryle Creek, Flathead, MT

Built 2015 ADT: 50

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK

COAL CREEK ROAD, Flathead, MT

Built 1964 ADT: 10

KOOCANUSA BRIDGE

Fair

Over: KOOCANUSA RESERVOIR

LAKE KOOCANUSA, Lincoln, MT

Built 1971 ADT: 75

RD 867

Fair

Over: LEIGH CR

LEIGH CREEK, Lincoln, MT

Built 1968 ADT: 50

PIPE CR RD

Fair

Over: EF PIPE CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Lincoln, MT

Built 1994 ADT: 132

RD 36

Fair

Over: WOLF CR

WOLF CREEK MP 12.8, Lincoln, MT

Built 1969 ADT: 50

NFSR 834

Fair

Over: BELT CREEK

JCT US 89/NFSR 834, Cascade, MT

Built 1909 ADT: 99

NFSR 1049

Fair

Over: BELT CREEK

EAST OF JCT US89/NFSR1049, Cascade, MT

Built 1909 ADT: 99

TREVI CR RD

Fair

Over: SO FK LOLO CR

TEVIS CR, Missoula, MT

Built 1981 ADT: 50

RD 431

Fair

Over: ST REGIS RIVER

TWOMILE CR, Mineral, MT

Built 1957 ADT: 50

CHERRY SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK 062

1M E ROBERTS, Carbon, MT

Built 1942 ADT: 100

RIVER RD

Fair

Over: LOWLINE CANAL 056

4M N GALLATIN GATEWAY, Gallatin, MT

Built 1933 ADT: 100

Kraft Creek Road

Fair

Over: Swan River

5.3 M S. of Condon, Missoula, MT

Built 1954 ADT: 100

BRUNDAGE LN

Fair

Over: RED ROCK RIVER 052

25M NE MONIDA, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1920 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 100

BIRDTAIL RD

Fair

Over: FLAT CREEK 036

8M SE BOWMANS, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1901 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 100

BURLEY HILL RD

Fair

Over: HIGHWOOD CREEK 012

6M SE HIGHWOOD, Chouteau, MT

Built 1938 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 100

BOULDER CUT OFF RD

Fair

Over: BOULDER RIVER 003

10M NE WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1981 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 100

SAVOY RD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE 112

W DODSON, Phillips, MT

Built 1951 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 16

DUTCH HENRY RD

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK 072

11M N REDSTONE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1983 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 100

AUGUSTA RD

Fair

Over: DEARBORN RIVER 011

18M S AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1896 Load: 4.2 t ADT: 31

HENDRICKS MILL ROA

Fair

Over: GRASSHOPPER CREEK

S BANNACK, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1980 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

HENDRICKS MILL ROA

Fair

Over: GRASSHOPPER CREEK

BANNACK, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1980 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

SIXTEENMILE RD

Fair

Over: SIXTEENMILE CREEK 044

18M SW RINGLING, Meagher, MT

Built 2022 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

LOWER N FORK RD

Fair

Over: N FK BIG HOLE RIVER 069

6M N WISDOM, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1980 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 44

UPPER N FORK RD

Fair

Over: N FK BIG HOLE RIVER 063

6M NW WISDOM, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1978 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

BANNACK BENCH RD

Fair

Over: HORSE PRAIRE CREEK 010

1M N GRANT, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1981 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

TAYLOR CR RD

Fair

Over: GRASSHOPPER CREEK 004

21M W DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1986 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

LITTLE LAKE CR RD

Fair

Over: BIG HOLE RIVER 087

3M NW JACKSON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1986 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

LIMA DAM RD

Fair

Over: RED ROCK RIVER 007

6M E LIMA, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1982 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 116

OLD STAGE RD

Fair

Over: CANYON DITCH

E BARRETTS INT, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1982 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 292

SAGE CREEK RD

Fair

Over: RED ROCK RIVER 034

1M N DELL, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1977 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 70

GRAVLEY RD

Fair

Over: RED ROCK RIVER 085

4M NW LIMA, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1982 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 61

ELLOAM RD

Fair

Over: BATTLE CREEK 018

25M N CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 1991 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

MILLER ROAD

Fair

Over: FORT BELKNAP CANAL 057

7M NW HARLEM, Blaine, MT

Built 1923 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

OLD TOWN RD

Fair

Over: JEFFERSON RIVER 004

2M N THREE FORKS, Gallatin, MT

Built 1897 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

RED LODGE CR RD

Fair

Over: VOLNEY CREEK 015

13M SW BOYD, Carbon, MT

Built 1991 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

MILES CITY CUTOFF

Fair

Over: LITTLE BEAVER CREEK 004

4M NW EKALAKA, Carter, MT

Built 1987 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

EAGLE CREEK RD

Fair

Over: EAGLE CREEK 005

8M SE FLAXVILLE, Daniels, MT

Built 1950 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

Showing 1-50 of 5,224 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 Montana's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Montana 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. Montana 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.