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 300

Fair

Over: MUSSELSHELL RIVER

RYEGATE, Golden Valley, MT

Built 1962 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 171

IRR - S 313

Fair

Over: BIGHORN RIVER

7M SW HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 1958 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,049

W DRY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: GALLATIN RIVER

2M E MANHATTAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1967 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,263

WOODSIDE CUTOFF RD

Fair

Over: BITTERROOT RIVER

WOODSIDE, Ravalli, MT

Built 1954 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 6,621

S 396-SAVOY RD

Fair

Over: THIRTY MILE CREEK

1M SE HARLEM, Blaine, MT

Built 1941 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 105

F BRIDGE RD

Fair

Over: MARIAS RIVER

12M SE SHELBY, Toole, MT

Built 1953 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 55

NYE RD-S 419

Fair

Over: STILLWATER RIVER

NYE, Stillwater, MT

Built 1945 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 721

HANOVER RD

Fair

Over: JUDITH RIVER

5M NE KOLIN, Fergus, MT

Built 1970 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 113

FISH HATCHERY RD

Fair

Over: E FORK BIG SPRING CREEK

4M SE LEWISTOWN, Fergus, MT

Built 1966 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 161

S 467-UNION RD

Fair

Over: REDWATER RIVER

1M S CIRCLE, McCone, MT

Built 1962 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 126

S 531-WESTSIDE RD

Fair

Over: ROARING LION CREEK

1M SW HAMILTON, Ravalli, MT

Built 1972 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 509

KING AVE W

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK

5M W BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1966 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 780

W RESERVE DR

Fair

Over: STILLWATER RIVER

3M NW KALISPELL, Flathead, MT

Built 1983 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 100

S 566-TONGUE R RD

Fair

Over: HANGING WOMAN CREEK

SW BIRNEY, Rosebud, MT

Built 1975 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 44

CENTRAL AVE RAMP

Fair

Over: UNDERPASS AVENUE

BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1977 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 9,883

E FRONT ST

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

MISSOULA-E FRONT ST, Missoula, MT

Built 1932 Load: 24.5 t ADT: 1,568

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: COPPER CR

AFTER COPPER CREEK CG, Granite, MT

Built 1956 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 50

NFSR

Fair

Over: CONDON CREEK

CONCON, Missoula, MT

Built 2010 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 50

WEASEL CK ROAD

Fair

Over: CROW CREEK

JENKINS GULCH, Broadwater, MT

Built 1983 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 20

FDR 119

Fair

Over: SHEEP CREEK

3.8 MI WEST US89/119 JCT, Meagher, MT

Built 1956 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 50

SAWPIT

Fair

Over: NINEMILE CR

SAWPIT, Missoula, MT

Built 1970 Load: 24.6 t ADT: 50

STAHL CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: STAHL CR

STAHL CR, Lincoln, MT

Built 1966 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50

S.FK.STAHL CR RD

Fair

Over: STAHL CR

STAHL CR, Lincoln, MT

Built 1966 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50

5900 JUNGLE CR.RD.

Fair

Over: WEST FORK YAAK RIVER

JUST PAST JCT WITH 338, Lincoln, MT

Built 1980 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 10

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: BLIND CANYON

NO DATA ENTERED, Missoula, MT

Built 1991 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50

RD 450

Fair

Over: WINDFALL CR

VERDE WINDFALL, Mineral, MT

Built 1967 Load: 24.9 t ADT: 50

MILLEGAN RD

Fair

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

ULM, Cascade, MT

Built 1983 Load: 25.0 t ADT: 549

Lower Ray Cr Road

Fair

Over: Eastside Canal

5 mi NE of Townsend MT, Broadwater, MT

Built 1974 Load: 25.2 t ADT: 5

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: BIG LAKE

BIG LAKE CR, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1971 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 40

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: MILLER CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 1956 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 20

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: N FK E FK BULL RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 1960 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 50

SARPY BASIN RD

Fair

Over: SARPY CREEK 033

24M E HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 1981 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 100

VALLEY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: VALLEY CREEK 008

2M NW PARK CITY, Stillwater, MT

Built 2010 Load: 25.3 t ADT: 100

PADDEN RD

Fair

Over: TIE CREEK 017

12M NW CAPITOL, Carter, MT

Built 2017 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 100

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP HIGH BRIDGE RD

6.2M N CLARK CANYON DAM, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1988 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,836

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP HIGH BRDGE RD

6.2M N CLARK CANYON DAM, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1988 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,836

I 15

Fair

Over: BEAVERHEAD RIVER

8M N CLARK CANYON DAM, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1981 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,210

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP SAWMILL GULCH

6.2M N BUTTE, Jefferson, MT

Built 1976 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,556

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP SAWMILL GULCH

6.2M N BUTTE, Jefferson, MT

Built 1976 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,556

I 15

Fair

Over: BOULDER RIVER

2.5M W BOULDER, Jefferson, MT

Built 1980 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,904

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP AMAZON RD

3.7M N BOULDER, Jefferson, MT

Built 1973 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,501

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP AMAZON ROAD

3.7M N BOULDER, Jefferson, MT

Built 1973 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,501

I 15

Fair

Over: SEP LUMP GULCH ROAD

0.6M N CLANCY, Jefferson, MT

Built 1969 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,739

I 15

Fair

Over: TETON RIVER

6M N DUTTON, Teton, MT

Built 1977 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,681

I 90 EB

Fair

Over: SEP RED HILL ROAD

0.6M E ST. REGIS, Mineral, MT

Built 1978 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,513

I 90

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK RIVER

5M E ALBERTON, Missoula, MT

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 4,525

I 90 EB

Fair

Over: SEP RUSTIC ROAD

1.2M E BONNER, Missoula, MT

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 6,035

I 90

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK RIVER

0.6M W BEARMOUTH, Granite, MT

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 11,108

I 90

Fair

Over: INT E BOZEMAN-P 50

BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1971 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 10,307

I 90

Fair

Over: INT MISSION CREEK

9.9M E LIVINGSTON, Park, MT

Built 1987 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 5,692

Showing 1,101-1,150 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.