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

OLD HWY 312

Poor

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER 170

HUNTLEY, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1949 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,981

US 2

Poor

Over: LODGE CREEK

CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 1942 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,254

US 2

Poor

Over: IRRIGATION-STOCKPASS

1M E CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,254

US 2

Poor

Over: MOONEY COULEE

6M NW GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 1948 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,409

S 200

Poor

Over: RR

2M SE NOXON, Sanders, MT

Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,508

US 89

Poor

Over: INT EAST LIVINGSTON I 90

2M NE LIVNGSTON, Park, MT

Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,850

S 5

Poor

Over: DAHL CREEK

12M SW WESTBY, Sheridan, MT

Built 1939 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 307

S 78 FH 83

Poor

Over: RED LODGE CREEK

7M SE ROSCOE, Carbon, MT

Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 478

RD 4925

Poor

Over: CRIPPLE HORSE CR

.1 MI S JCT W/835, Lincoln, MT

Built 1963 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Poor

Over: E FK FISHTRAP

E FK FISHTRAP, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 1973 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20

NO DATA ENTERED

Poor

Over: FOSTER CR

NORTH END OF AJC, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 1952 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

IRR ROUTE 46

Poor

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

11 KM NNW OF BOX ELDER, Hill, MT

Built 1963 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 100

S 82

Poor

Over: FLATHEAD RIVER

3M NW BIG FORK, Flathead, MT

Built 1955 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 8,155

SOLLID RD

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

20M E CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1973 Load: 24.4 t ADT: 16

ROAD 220

Poor

Over: CARROLL COULEE

SECT 22 T21N R26E, Fergus, MT

Built 1963 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 5

MT HWY 2

Poor

Over: RR 061

4M W WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1932 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 982

MULLAN RD E

Poor

Over: NEMOTE CREEK 006

2M NW TARKIO, Mineral, MT

Built 1931 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 100

NF-6639 RD

Poor

Over: BOULDER RIVER 041

35M S SPRINGDALE, Park, MT

Built 1933 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 156

N DAWES STREET

Poor

Over: BIG SPRING CREEK 061

LEWISTOWN-N DAWES ST, Fergus, MT

Built 1940 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 100

US 2

Poor

Over: CHAPMAN COULEE

7M NW GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 1948 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,409

US 12

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

4M E SUMATRA, Rosebud, MT

Built 1947 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 144

US 12

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

31M NW FORSYTH, Rosebud, MT

Built 1941 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 144

S 141

Poor

Over: NEVADA CREEK

13M NW AVON, Powell, MT

Built 1936 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,564

S 80-13TH ST

Poor

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

FORT BENTON-13TH ST, Chouteau, MT

Built 1962 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 924

S SHILOH RD

Poor

Over: SEP I 90

2M SW BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1959 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 2,158

RD 320

Poor

Over: CEDAR CR

CEDAR CR, Mineral, MT

Built 1959 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 50

RD 6144

Poor

Over: BOBTAIL CR

BOBTAIL FACE, Lincoln, MT

Built 1973 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50

SWANDAL RD

Poor

Over: FLATHEAD CREEK 073

3M W WILSALL, Park, MT

Built 1970 Load: 25.1 t ADT: 100

IRR BIA RTE 2

Poor

Over: DAWSON CREEK

2.4 KM SE OF E.GLACIER, Glacier, MT

Built 1932 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 100

S 287

Poor

Over: GRANITE CREEK

3M NW VIRGNIA CITY, Madison, MT

Built 1942 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 1,151

I 90

Poor

Over: INT RESERVE STREET

MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1966 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 13,266

UPPER HIGHWOOD CR

Poor

Over: HIGHWOOD CREEK 069

6M SE HIGHWOOD, Chouteau, MT

Built 1969 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 100

STAGE RD

Poor

Over: WILD HORSE CREEK 023

17M S DODSON, Phillips, MT

Built 1925 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 100

FRONTAGE ROAD 018

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE 009

4M E HYSHAM, Treasure, MT

Built 1933 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 218

SR 117

Poor

Over: MISSOURI RIVER OVERFLOW

1M N FORT PECK, Valley, MT

Built 1950 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 559

US 87

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

13M NW GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1939 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,442

S 200

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

10M W BROCKWAY, McCone, MT

Built 1939 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,012

US 12 FH 11

Poor

Over: LOLO CREEK

LOLO HOT SPRINGS, Missoula, MT

Built 1957 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 747

W DRY CREEK RD

Poor

Over: BAKER CREEK

1M E MANHATTAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1967 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,263

NFSR 9229

Poor

Over: WOOD CREEK

WOOD CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1967 Load: 26.2 t ADT: 50

I 90

Poor

Over: CLARK FORK RIVER

9.3M W ALBERTON, Mineral, MT

Built 1965 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 4,036

OLD US HWY 91

Poor

Over: LITTLE MUDDY CREEK 090

6M N CASCADE, Cascade, MT

Built 1923 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 100

I 15 FRONTAGE RD

Poor

Over: CATARACT CREEK 030

1M E BASIN, Jefferson, MT

Built 1933 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 100

US 191

Poor

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

29M NE ROY, Fergus, MT

Built 1959 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 622

BIG SWAMP CR RD

Poor

Over: BIG SWAMP CR

BIG SWAMP CR, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1968 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 15

SWAMP CR ROAD

Poor

Over: BIG SWAMP CR

BIG SWAMP CR, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1968 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 15

RUBY RD

Poor

Over: COTTONWOOD CR

COTTONWOOD CR, Madison, MT

Built 1954 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 50

CLARENCE CR RD.

Poor

Over: CLARENCE CR

CLARENCE CR, Lincoln, MT

Built 1977 Load: 26.6 t ADT: 50

RD 36-B

Poor

Over: WOLF CR

KELSEY CR NEAR MP21 ON 36, Lincoln, MT

Built 1960 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 50

RD 352

Poor

Over: TWELVEMILE CREEK

HENDERSON-THOMPSON, Mineral, MT

Built 1955 Load: 26.9 t ADT: 50

Showing 5,051-5,100 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.