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

I 90

Fair

Over: MADISON ROAD

3.1M E THREE FORKS, Gallatin, MT

Built 1963 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 9,524

I 90

Fair

Over: MADISON ROAD

3.1M E THREE FORKS, Gallatin, MT

Built 1963 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 9,524

I 90

Fair

Over: RR

BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1971 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 10,307

I 90

Fair

Over: GREYCLIFF CREEK RD

3.7M E GREYCLIFF, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 5,353

I 90

Fair

Over: GREYCLIFF CREEK RD

3.7M E GREYCLIFF, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 5,353

I 90

Fair

Over: INT BRIDGER CREEK

6.2M E GREYCLIFF, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 5,353

I 90

Fair

Over: INT BRIDGER CREEK

6.2M E GREYCLIFF, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 5,353

I 90

Fair

Over: SEP COUNTY ROAD

21.1M E BILLINGS, Big Horn, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,152

I 90

Fair

Over: SEP COUNTY ROAD

21.1M E BILLINGS, Big Horn, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,152

IRR - I 90

Fair

Over: SARPY ROAD-S 384

1.2M E HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 1971 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,249

IRR - I 90

Fair

Over: SARPY ROAD-S 384

1.2M E HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 1971 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,249

I 94

Fair

Over: INT EAST FORSYTH

EAST FORSYTH, Rosebud, MT

Built 1977 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,714

I 94

Fair

Over: SEP MONTANA ROAD

11M SW TERRY, Prairie, MT

Built 1971 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,110

I 94

Fair

Over: INT POWDER RIVER

7M SW TERRY, Prairie, MT

Built 1971 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,110

I 94

Fair

Over: GRIFFITH CREEK

7M E GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1980 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,082

I 94

Fair

Over: INT HODGES CO RD 159

16M SE GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1964 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,160

OLD HWY 87

Fair

Over: FLY CREEK 090

15M W HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 2002 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 561

WILLOW CREEK RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE BELT CREEK 099

13M E BELT, Cascade, MT

Built 1950 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 157

STAR MEADOW RD

Fair

Over: LOGAN CREEK 177

17M SW OLNEY, Flathead, MT

Built 1981 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

HOMESTAKE PASS

Fair

Over: INT HOMESTAKE-I 90 005

HOMESTAKE PASS, Jefferson, MT

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

RIMINI RD

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CREEK 106

1M S RIMINI, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1962 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 106

JACK CR BENCH RD

Fair

Over: JACK CREEK 031

7M E ENNIS, Madison, MT

Built 1952 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 175

ELK FLATS RD

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK 115

W OF CONDON, Missoula, MT

Built 1996 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

CARTERSVILLE RD

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK 042

8M NE ROSEBUD, Rosebud, MT

Built 2012 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 138

5TH AVE S

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK 085

1M SW PLAINS, Sanders, MT

Built 1975 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

S DIVISION LN

Fair

Over: BIG COULEE 059

4M S FAIRFIELD, Teton, MT

Built 1976 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

CANAL RD

Fair

Over: BRAZIL CREEK 079

3M W GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 2013 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

NEIBAUER RD

Fair

Over: BIG DITCH 038

4M NE LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1960 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 137

US 2

Fair

Over: YAAK RIVER

8M NW TROY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1934 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,286

US 2

Fair

Over: CALLAHAN CREEK

TROY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1989 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,850

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: OSWEGO CREEK

1M N OSWEGO, Valley, MT

Built 1973 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,405

IRR - US 89

Fair

Over: AGENCY CREEK

15M SE BROWNING, Glacier, MT

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,184

US 310

Fair

Over: RR

1M S LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2015 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 6,230

US 93 FH 12

Fair

Over: GRAVE CREEK

2M NW FORTINE, Lincoln, MT

Built 1991 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 3,036

US 287

Fair

Over: INT THREE FORKS I 90

3M W THREE FORKS, Broadwater, MT

Built 2012 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 6,238

S 16

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL

SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1974 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,407

S 200

Fair

Over: SUN RIVER

SUN RIVER, Cascade, MT

Built 1996 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,418

S 37 FH 57

Fair

Over: KOOTENAI RIVER

3M S LIBBY DAM, Lincoln, MT

Built 1969 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 649

S 44

Fair

Over: INT VALIER I 15

9M N CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,111

US 191

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

4M S MELVILLE, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2004 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 657

US 191 FH 42

Fair

Over: GRAYLING CREEK

10M N WEST YELLOWSTONE, Gallatin, MT

Built 2012 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,481

S 200

Fair

Over: USRS CANAL

3M SW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 1988 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,547

S 200S-MERRILL AVE

Fair

Over: INT E GLENDIVE I 94

NE GLENDIVE-MERRILL AVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1969 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 5,511

S 72

Fair

Over: CLARKS FORK YELLOWSTONE

1M N BELFRY, Carbon, MT

Built 2013 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,722

S 511

Fair

Over: S FORK WHITETAIL CREEK

3M N FLAXVILLE, Daniels, MT

Built 1999 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 131

S 540 - E RIVER RD

Fair

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

4M S LIVINGSTON, Park, MT

Built 1921 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,138

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: BURNT FORK BTTR RIV

NO DATA ENTERED, Ravalli, MT

Built 1967 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 5

PARK RD

Fair

Over: FORT BELKNAP CANAL 001

N ZURICH, Blaine, MT

Built 1958 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 100

BROADHURST RD

Fair

Over: PONDERA COULEE 013

4M S TIBER DAM, Liberty, MT

Built 1977 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 100

S 86-BRIDGER DR

Fair

Over: EAST GALLATIN RIVER

1M N BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1984 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 8,393

Showing 2,451-2,500 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.