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 8TH AVE

Fair

Over: SEP I 90 010

LAUREL-S 8TH AVE, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1967 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 100

WESTWOOD LN

Fair

Over: WHITEFISH RIVER 169

KALISPELL-WESTWOOD LN, Flathead, MT

Built 1992 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 100

9TH AVE SW

Fair

Over: LONE TREE CREEK 083

SIDNEY-9TH AVE SW, Richland, MT

Built 1999 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,485

SWAMP CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: SWAMP CREEK

24M NW HAPPY`S INN, Lincoln, MT

Built 1936 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 100

US 2

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

4M W ZURICH, Blaine, MT

Built 1941 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 2,067

US 2

Fair

Over: MILK RIVER

2M E HINSDALE, Valley, MT

Built 1966 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,148

US 94

Fair

Over: RR

2M SW MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 1954 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,372

US 12

Fair

Over: POWDER RIVER

26M E MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 1973 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 549

US 12

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

9M W PLEVNA, Fallon, MT

Built 1932 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 513

IRR - US 93

Fair

Over: POST CREEK

6M N ST IGNATIUS, Lake, MT

Built 1933 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 7,072

IRR - US 93

Fair

Over: DAYTON CREEK

DAYTON, Lake, MT

Built 1987 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 4,951

US 287

Fair

Over: SUN RIVER

4M NE AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1936 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 535

US 89

Fair

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

11M SW EMIGRANT, Park, MT

Built 1958 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,547

US 287

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

7M S CAMERON, Madison, MT

Built 1933 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,789

US 12

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

2M E LAVINA, Golden Valley, MT

Built 1935 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 459

S 59

Fair

Over: LITTLE DRY CREEK

SOUTH COHAGEN, Garfield, MT

Built 1976 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 293

S 1

Fair

Over: RR

6M S WARM SPRINGS, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 1964 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 4,553

S 1

Fair

Over: RR

6M S WARM SPRINGS, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 1964 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 2,277

S 16

Fair

Over: MORGAN CREEK

4M SW INTAKE, Dawson, MT

Built 1967 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 2,216

S 13

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

CIRCLE, McCone, MT

Built 1988 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 905

S 13

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

14M NE CIRCLE, McCone, MT

Built 1992 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 787

S 13

Fair

Over: COW CREEK

10M S VIDA, McCone, MT

Built 1993 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 787

IRR - S 13

Fair

Over: LITTLE WOLF CREEK

2M E WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1978 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,459

S 41

Fair

Over: FISH CREEK

6M N SILVERSTAR, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1934 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 399

S 141

Fair

Over: STOCKPASS-DRAINAGE

2M SE HELMSVILLE, Powell, MT

Built 1965 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,382

S 43

Fair

Over: SMART CREEK

WISE RIVER, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1970 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 576

US 87

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

6M NW GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1939 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,300

US 87

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

3M NW GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1939 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,300

S 200

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

20M W BROCKWAY, Garfield, MT

Built 1938 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 544

S 200

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

12M W BROCKWAY, McCone, MT

Built 1939 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 1,012

IRR - US 191

Fair

Over: HALFWAY COULEE

11M SW MALTA, Phillips, MT

Built 1940 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 375

S 81

Fair

Over: DRY WOLF CREEK

6M SE DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 1949 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 263

US 12 FH 11

Fair

Over: LOLO CREEK

1M S LOLO HOT SPRINGS, Missoula, MT

Built 1951 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 747

S 210

Fair

Over: MRL SPUR (NOT IN USE)

BONNER, Missoula, MT

Built 1929 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 2,063

TURNER RD

Fair

Over: E FORK WAYNE CREEK

9M NE HARLEM, Blaine, MT

Built 1947 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 61

S 248

Fair

Over: W FK POPLAR RV OVERFLOW

NE OF RICHLAND, Valley, MT

Built 1948 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 193

S 248

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

FOUR BUTTES, Daniels, MT

Built 1941 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 390

IRR - S 251

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

20M NE POPLAR, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1948 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 142

S 297

Fair

Over: DEADMAN`S BASIN CANAL

1M N SHAWMUT, Wheatland, MT

Built 1959 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 79

RAPELJE RD

Fair

Over: KEYSER CREEK

6M NW COLUMBUS, Stillwater, MT

Built 1976 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 576

S 324

Fair

Over: MEDICINE LODGE CREEK

5M E GRANT, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1963 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 185

IRR - S 350

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK

9M NW FROID, Sheridan, MT

Built 1957 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 28

S 366-LEDGER RD

Fair

Over: INT LEDGER-I 15

6M N CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1972 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 186

WATERLOO RD

Fair

Over: JEFFERSON RIVER

9M NE SILVERSTAR, Jefferson, MT

Built 1961 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 237

PLEVNA RD S

Fair

Over: SOUTH FORK SANDSTONE CR

1M S PLEVNA, Fallon, MT

Built 1964 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 76

SPANISH CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK SPANISH CREEK

SPANISH CREEK, Madison, MT

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: WHITE PINE CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 30

FDR 211

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

4.5 MI SE US12/FDR211 JCT, Meagher, MT

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 50

I 90

Fair

Over: SEP JUNIPER DR-CLARK FK

1.2M W BONNER, Missoula, MT

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 9,994

RD 472

Fair

Over: YAAK RIVER

YAAK RIVER, Lincoln, MT

Built 1954 Load: 27.9 t ADT: 50

Showing 1,451-1,500 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.