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 TO MARKET RD

Fair

Over: STILLWATER RIVER 084

12M W WHITEFISH, Flathead, MT

Built 1980 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 333

GALENA GULCH RD

Fair

Over: BOULDER RIVER 016

4M E BASIN, Jefferson, MT

Built 2003 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

CRAIG FRONTAGE RD

Fair

Over: STICKNEY CREEK 057

2M N CRAIG, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1968 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 327

PACKER CREEK RD

Fair

Over: ST REGIS RIVER 007

SALTESE, Mineral, MT

Built 1957 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

W NINEMILE RD

Fair

Over: NINEMILE CREEK 029

12M NW FRENCHTOWN, Missoula, MT

Built 1972 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 477

MAIN BOULDER RD

Fair

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK 039

30M S SPRINGDALE, Park, MT

Built 1938 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 156

CONTENT RD

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK 052

26M SE MALTA, Phillips, MT

Built 1983 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

S FRONTAGE RD 011

Fair

Over: POWELL CREEK 063

2M S DEER LODGE, Powell, MT

Built 1930 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 899

HAMMOND VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: BIG PORCUPINE CR 034

8M NW FORSYTH, Rosebud, MT

Built 1977 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 65

COLUMBUS-MOLT RD

Fair

Over: SEP COLUMBUS-MOLT RD I 9

2M E COLUMBUS, Stillwater, MT

Built 1970 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

5TH LN NE

Fair

Over: MUDDY CREEK 016

5M NW COLLINS, Teton, MT

Built 1980 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

SELKIRK RD

Fair

Over: MARTINSDALE RES SPWY 021

8M W TWO DOT, Wheatland, MT

Built 1976 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 031

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK 007

29M N WIBAUX, Wibaux, MT

Built 2012 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

HIGHLINE CANAL RD

Fair

Over: HUNTLEY MAIN CANAL 152

1M NE BALLANTINE, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1982 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 65

STRAUCH RD

Fair

Over: SEP I 90 013

1M E LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1964 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

MAIN ST

Fair

Over: BERGMAN SLOUGH 019

DRUMMOND-MAIN STREET, Granite, MT

Built 1934 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 544

E MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: PRICKLY PEAR CREEK 009

EAST HELENA-E MAIN ST, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1934 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,565

LEXINGTON AVE

Fair

Over: SEP LEXINGTON ST 016

BUTTE-LEXINGTON AVE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1960 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 3,746

OREGON AVE

Fair

Over: SEP OREGON STREET 017

BUTTE-OREGON AVE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1960 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,225

1ST AVE

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK 009

WIBAUX-1ST AVE, Wibaux, MT

Built 1986 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 100

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: LITTLE PORCUPINE CREEK

FRAZER, Valley, MT

Built 1960 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,326

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: POPLAR RIVER

W POPLAR, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2000 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,725

US 12

Fair

Over: O`FALLON CREEK

11M W PLEVNA, Fallon, MT

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 513

US 287

Fair

Over: SOUTH WILLOW CREEK

HARRISON, Madison, MT

Built 1934 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 4,026

US 287

Fair

Over: RR

11M SW THREE FORKS, Gallatin, MT

Built 1950 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,204

US 12

Fair

Over: N FORK MUSSELSHELL R

11M NW TWO DOT, Meagher, MT

Built 2014 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 499

US 12

Fair

Over: CURRANT CREEK

7M SW ROUNDUP, Musselshell, MT

Built 1936 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 438

S 1

Fair

Over: INT I 90

6M S WARM SPRINGS, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 1964 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 4,553

S 1

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

4M S DRUMMOND, Granite, MT

Built 1999 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,260

S 16

Fair

Over: DUNLAP CREEK

1M N SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1974 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,407

S 7

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

8M NE EKALAKA, Carter, MT

Built 1940 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 390

IRR - S 39

Fair

Over: ROSEBUD CREEK

9M SE COLSTRIP, Rosebud, MT

Built 2004 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 713

MT 41

Fair

Over: BEAVERHEAD RIVER

TWIN BRIDGES, Madison, MT

Built 1949 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,773

S 56 FH 5

Fair

Over: BULL RIVER

13M NW NOXON, Sanders, MT

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 679

US 87-W MAIN ST

Fair

Over: BIG SPRING CREEK

LEWISTOWN-W MAIN ST, Fergus, MT

Built 1962 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5,247

S 200

Fair

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

8M E WINNETT, Petroleum, MT

Built 1953 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 630

S 200S

Fair

Over: BUFFALO SPRING CREEK

4M SE CIRCLE, McCone, MT

Built 1966 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 922

US 87

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

5M SE GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1952 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,038

S 84

Fair

Over: CHERRY CREEK

9M NE NORRIS, Madison, MT

Built 1952 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 2,446

FRONTAGE RD-S 205

Fair

Over: RR

LOGAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 2007 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,140

IRR - S 251

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

26M NE POPLAR, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1950 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 87

S 252-WELDON RD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

14M NW CIRCLE, McCone, MT

Built 1955 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 57

S 332

Fair

Over: TONGUE RIVER

20M N ASHLAND, Rosebud, MT

Built 1963 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 64

S 19TH RD

Fair

Over: HYALITE CREEK

6M SW BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1988 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,821

IRR - S 451

Fair

Over: LODGE GRASS CREEK

LODGE GRASS, Big Horn, MT

Built 1955 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 536

S 484 FH 51

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

27M SE ASHLAND, Powder River, MT

Built 1999 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 35

AIRPORT RD

Fair

Over: ASHLEY CREEK

KALISPELL-AIRPORT RD, Flathead, MT

Built 1982 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 4,802

SR 537

Fair

Over: MILK RIVER

2M N HINSDALE, Valley, MT

Built 1969 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 122

S 566-TONGUE R RD

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK

11M SW BIRNEY, Rosebud, MT

Built 1990 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 44

KING AVE W

Fair

Over: BBWA CANAL

BILLINGS-KING AVE W, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1994 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 31,207

Showing 1,801-1,850 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.