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

E ANTELOPE RD

Fair

Over: ANTELOPE CREEK 036

E ANTELOPE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

W RESERVE RD

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK 038

14M S PLENTYWOOD, Sheridan, MT

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 42

SHIPPE CANYON RD

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK 037

11M S PLENTYWOOD, Sheridan, MT

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 159

BOLSTER RD

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK 029

6M SE REDSTONE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

BOLSTER RD

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK 028

18M SE REDSTONE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

W LAKE RD

Fair

Over: MUDDY CR DIVERSION 045

W EDGE MEDICINE LAKE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 197

W LAKE RD

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK 047

6M W MEDICINE LAKE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 68

BERGH RD

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK 041

15M S REDSTONE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 27

W RESERVE RD

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK 039

22M SW PLENTYWOOD, Sheridan, MT

Built 1976 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

SINGLETREE RD

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK 034

4M SW ANTELOPE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1984 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13

OLD MUDDY RD

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK 033

1M NW ANTELOPE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13

WHITTISH HILL RD

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK 035

2M S ANTELOPE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

S ARCHER RD

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY CREEK 015

9M W PLENTYWOOD, Sheridan, MT

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 46

MIDBY RD

Fair

Over: FORD CREEK 025

7M W PLENTYWOOD, Sheridan, MT

Built 1984 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 22

SILVER BOW RD

Fair

Over: SILVER BOW CREEK 014

3M W ROCKER, Silver Bow, MT

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

S ROCKER RD

Fair

Over: SILVER BOW CREEK 007

SE ROCKER, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 864

COUNTRYMAN CR RD

Fair

Over: STILLWATER R OVFLOW 002

1M SW COLUMBUS, Stillwater, MT

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

YOUNGS POINT RD

Fair

Over: BIG DITCH 044

4M W PARK CITY, Stillwater, MT

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

OLD US 10

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK 004

6M NW GREYCLIFF, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 1937 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 553

5TH LN NE

Fair

Over: GREENFIELD CANAL 043

7M NE FAIRFIELD, Teton, MT

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

PEEBLES RD

Fair

Over: TETON RIVER 064

10M NW CHOTEAU, Teton, MT

Built 1973 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

FUHRMAN RD

Fair

Over: SNOW COULEE 021

16M S GLENTANA, Valley, MT

Built 1981 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

VANDALIA RD

Fair

Over: VANDALIA SOUTH CANAL 011

VANDALIA, Valley, MT

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 53

BIG ELK RD

Fair

Over: BIG ELK CREEK 004

7M S TWO DOT, Wheatland, MT

Built 1974 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

FOSTER RD

Fair

Over: AMERICAN FORK CREEK 007

5M SE HARLOWTON, Wheatland, MT

Built 1982 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

LOWER N HILL RD

Fair

Over: ROBERTS CREEK 005

14M SE JUDITH GAP, Wheatland, MT

Built 1962 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

N 18TH RD

Fair

Over: ARROW CREEK 150

3M NE WORDEN, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 62

N 19TH RD

Fair

Over: ARROW CREEK 100

2M NE WORDEN, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

LOWER CANAL RD

Fair

Over: HUNTLEY MAIN CANAL 154

3 NE BALLANTINE, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1982 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 32

FLY CREEK RD

Fair

Over: FLY CREEK 140

1M SW POMPAY`S PILLAR, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

PRYOR RD

Fair

Over: HAMILTON CREEK 133

9M NE PRYOR, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 760

PRYOR RD

Fair

Over: PRYOR CREEK 010

15M S BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1979 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 760

PRYOR RD

Fair

Over: PRYOR CREEK 014

20M S BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2001 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 592

AQUI ESTA DR

Fair

Over: BLUE CREEK 124

4M SE BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1967 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

COLLEEN DR

Fair

Over: BLUE CREEK 125

3M SE BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1979 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

56TH ST W

Fair

Over: BIG DITCH 071

3M W BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,538

CANYON CREEK RD

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK 042

9M NW LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

MARKEGARD RD

Fair

Over: COVE DITCH 067

4M W LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1986 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

ROLAND DR

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK DITCH 056

5M SW BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1972 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

S 44TH ST W

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK DITCH 190

7M NE LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

ESTHER ROSE LN

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK DITCH 192

7M NE LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1985 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

ALKALI CREEK RD

Fair

Over: ALKALI CREEK 053

4M NW BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 989

PINE STREET

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK 076

WEST GLENDIVE-PINE ST, Dawson, MT

Built 1981 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 622

S PEARSON AVENUE

Fair

Over: CAINS COULEE 095

GLENDIVE-S PEARSON AVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

S SARGENT AVENUE

Fair

Over: CAINS COULEE 096

GLENDIVE-S SARGENT AVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,019

TAYLOR AVENUE

Fair

Over: CAINS COULEE 097

GLENDIVE-S TAYLOR AVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1965 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,553

PINE STREET

Fair

Over: BIG SPRING CREEK 058

LEWISTOWN-PINE ST, Fergus, MT

Built 1962 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

W EVERGREEN DR

Fair

Over: WHITEFISH RIVER 165

KALISPELL-W EVERGREEN DR, Flathead, MT

Built 1983 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,593

E GRIFFIN DR

Fair

Over: E GALLATIN RIVER 090

1M N BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1989 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,331

E TAMARACK STREET

Fair

Over: BOZEMAN CREEK 115

BOZEMAN-E TAMARACK ST, Gallatin, MT

Built 1982 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

Showing 2,301-2,350 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.