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

S 47

Fair

Over: INT I 94

2M E CUSTER, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 100

US 87

Fair

Over: N FORK MCDONALD CREEK

8M NW GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1939 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,300

US 87

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

2M NW GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1939 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,300

US 89-MT 3-MT 200

Fair

Over: MISSOURI RIVER-U5205-RR

GREAT FALLS-10TH AVE S, Cascade, MT

Built 1951 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 13,385

S 65

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FK FLATHEAD RIVER

WEST GLACIER, Flathead, MT

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5,293

S 2

Fair

Over: WHITETAIL CREEK

WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1955 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,393

S 78 FH 83

Fair

Over: EAST ROSEBUD CREEK

ROSCOE, Carbon, MT

Built 1959 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 478

S 80

Fair

Over: BOYLE-O`HANLON COULEES

6M SE FORT BENTON, Chouteau, MT

Built 1939 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 476

S 80

Fair

Over: COWBOY STEELE CREEK

5M SE SQUARE BUTTE, Chouteau, MT

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 157

US 191

Fair

Over: WHITEWATER CREEK

8M N LORING, Phillips, MT

Built 1958 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 94

S 201-1ST ST W

Fair

Over: USRS CANAL

FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 1934 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,018

S 223

Fair

Over: TETON RIVER

3M NW FORT BENTON, Chouteau, MT

Built 1953 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 538

S 239

Fair

Over: JUDITH RIVER

2M W HOBSON, Judith Basin, MT

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 533

TURNER RD

Fair

Over: N FORK WAYNE CREEK

11M NE HARLEM, Blaine, MT

Built 1947 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 61

S 244

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

10M SW FLATWILLOW, Petroleum, MT

Built 1940 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 207

S 244

Fair

Over: MCDONALD CREEK

WINNETT, Petroleum, MT

Built 1941 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 244

S 254

Fair

Over: LOWER SEVEN MILE CREEK

6M S BLOOMFIELD, Dawson, MT

Built 1952 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 319

OLD YELLOWSTONE TR

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

1M S WILLOW CREEK, Gallatin, MT

Built 1949 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 131

MUSSELSHELL TRL RD

Fair

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

1M N CUSTER, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1964 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 216

CENTRAL AVE E

Fair

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

CASCADE, Cascade, MT

Built 1954 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 287

S 340

Fair

Over: INT FALLON-I 94

FALLON, Prairie, MT

Built 1978 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 365

W DRY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: EAST GALLATIN RIVER

5M E MANHATTAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 810

AMSTERDAM RD

Fair

Over: BAKER CREEK

4M SW BELGRADE, Gallatin, MT

Built 1952 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,207

IRR - S 358

Fair

Over: BIRCH CREEK

7M NW VALIER, Pondera, MT

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 290

S 359

Fair

Over: BRICKER SPARROW DITCH

JEFFERSON ISLAND, Madison, MT

Built 1958 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,402

IRR - S 382

Fair

Over: FLATHEAD RIVER

1M E PERMA, Sanders, MT

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 384

TWIN BRIDGES RD

Fair

Over: STILLWATER RIVER

5M SW WHITEFISH, Flathead, MT

Built 1988 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,990

HAMMER CUTOFF RD

Fair

Over: LIBBY CREEK

9M S LIBBY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 283

CONRAD DUPUYER RD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

9M NW CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 59

S 540-E RIVER RD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

2M NE PRAY, Park, MT

Built 1925 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 892

HWY 312

Fair

Over: RR

1M W POMPEY`S PILLAR, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2004 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 399

FDR 1203

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CR

JOHNSON CR, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1968 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 25

GRAVES CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: THOMA CREEK

5.6 MI WEST NORTH FORK RD, Flathead, MT

Built 1964 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 10

SPIRE ROCK CG LOOP

Fair

Over: STORMCASTLE CREEK

SPIRE ROCK CAMPGROUND, Gallatin, MT

Built 1957 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50

SPIRE ROCK CG LOOP

Fair

Over: STORMCASTLE CREEK

SPIRE ROCK CAMPGROUND, Gallatin, MT

Built 1957 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50

CROW CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: CROW CREEK

CROW CREEK 2, Broadwater, MT

Built 1967 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50

473 KEELER/RATTLE

Fair

Over: WEST FORK KEELER CREEK

WEST FORK KEELER CREEK, Lincoln, MT

Built 1957 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50

RD 231

Fair

Over: W FISHER RIVER

1 MI E LAKE CR CAMPGROUND, Lincoln, MT

Built 1982 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50

RD 763

Fair

Over: WOLF CR

.2 MI S WOLF CR JCT, Lincoln, MT

Built 1978 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 40

CLEAR CREEK RD SE

Fair

Over: LITTLE BOX ELDER CR 033

11M SE HAVRE, Hill, MT

Built 1974 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 139

E 1ST STREET

Fair

Over: WHITETAIL CREEK 023

WHITEHALL-E 1ST ST, Jefferson, MT

Built 1984 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 100

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: W FK FISHTRAP

W FK FISHTRAP, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 1973 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 20

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: LAKE FORK ROCK CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Carbon, MT

Built 1952 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 50

GALENA GULCH ROAD

Fair

Over: BOULDER RIVER

I15 HIGH ORE EXIT, Jefferson, MT

Built 1957 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

SILVER CR, Mineral, MT

Built 1984 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 50

RD 810

Fair

Over: ST REGIS RIVER

DOMINION CR, Mineral, MT

Built 1957 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 50

ARLENE RD

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK 105

24M SE MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1976 Load: 23.3 t ADT: 161

IRRCOUNTY ROAD 221

Fair

Over: SMOKE CREEK 025

22M N BROCKTON, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2004 Load: 23.4 t ADT: 100

OLD US 10

Fair

Over: COVE DITCH 012

2M NE PARK CITY, Stillwater, MT

Built 1928 Load: 23.5 t ADT: 726

UPPER N HILL RD

Fair

Over: EAST FK ROBERTS CR 006

12M SE JUDITH GAP, Wheatland, MT

Built 1962 Load: 23.5 t ADT: 19

Showing 801-850 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.