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 94

Fair

Over: TONGUE RIVER

1M S MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 1974 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,285

I 94

Fair

Over: RR

NW GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1969 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,894

I 94

Fair

Over: RR

NW GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1969 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,894

PLEVNA ROAD

Fair

Over: S FORK MILL CREEK 039

20M N EKALAKA, Carter, MT

Built 2013 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

SUNNY BANK RD

Fair

Over: S FK SANDSTONE CREEK 044

9M SE PLEVNA, Fallon, MT

Built 2013 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

CABIN CR RD

Fair

Over: CABIN CREEK 053

24M NW BAKER, Fallon, MT

Built 2012 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

LONE MOUNTAIN TRL

Fair

Over: W FORK W GALLATIN 001

2M E BIG SKY, Gallatin, MT

Built 1972 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 9,549

CONNS COULEE RD

Fair

Over: SEP JENS I 94 002

2M SW TERRY, Prairie, MT

Built 1971 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

9TH RD NE

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE 057

2M N CORDOVA, Teton, MT

Built 1988 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

WHATLEY RD

Fair

Over: MILK RIVER 071

7M SE GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 1998 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 78

S 16TH RD

Fair

Over: HUNTLEY MAIN CANAL 006

BALLANTINE, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,052

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: TWO MEDICINE RIVER

E EAST GLACIER, Glacier, MT

Built 2012 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,847

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: TULE CREEK

10M E WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1958 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,359

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: BIG MUDDY RIVER

5M W CULBERTSON, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2012 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,051

US 310

Fair

Over: RR

16M SE BRIDGER, Carbon, MT

Built 2001 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,513

US 93

Fair

Over: INT DESMET I 90

5M NW MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1995 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 7,676

IRR - S 200

Fair

Over: SEEPAY CREEK

2M SW PERMA, Sanders, MT

Built 1969 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,127

US 20

Fair

Over: S FORK MADISON RIVER

4M W WEST YELLOWSTONE, Gallatin, MT

Built 2009 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,289

US 12

Fair

Over: DEEP CREEK

10M E TOWNSEND, Broadwater, MT

Built 2007 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,298

US 212

Fair

Over: POWDER RIVER

1M SE BROADUS, Powder River, MT

Built 1985 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,361

US 212

Fair

Over: E FK LITTLE POWDER RIVER

8M SE BROADUS, Powder River, MT

Built 1983 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,463

IRR - S 13

Fair

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

6M SE WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1998 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,156

US 89

Fair

Over: INT MISSION I 90

5M NE LIVINGSTON, Park, MT

Built 1962 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,146

US 12

Fair

Over: LITTLE BLACKFOOT RIVER

GARRISON, Powell, MT

Built 1952 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,377

S 89

Fair

Over: RR

SOUTH DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1983 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,770

TURNER RD

Fair

Over: BUCKLEY COULEE

1M N HARLEM, Blaine, MT

Built 1940 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 397

S 243

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

1M N SACO, Phillips, MT

Built 2003 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 252

S 243

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

1M N SACO, Phillips, MT

Built 2003 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 252

S 243

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK OVERFLOW

1M N SACO, Phillips, MT

Built 2003 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 252

S 285

Fair

Over: TOSTON CANAL

2M W TOSTON, Broadwater, MT

Built 1948 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 314

MARSHALL CREEK RD

Fair

Over: FLINT CREEK

1M W PHILIPSBURG, Granite, MT

Built 1956 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 345

S 431

Fair

Over: GREENFIELD MAIN CANAL

3M E FAIRFIELD, Teton, MT

Built 1959 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 283

S 567-PIPE CR RD

Fair

Over: PIPE CREEK

11M N LIBBY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1965 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 213

S MONTANA ST

Fair

Over: SILVER BOW CREEK

BUTTE-S MONTANA ST, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1970 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 14,415

AIRPORT DR

Fair

Over: INT GORE HILL-I 15

1M SW GREAT FALLS, Cascade, MT

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,451

CEDAR CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

4 MI N OF COLUMBIA FALLS, Flathead, MT

Built 1992 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 10

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: HENDERSON CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Mineral, MT

Built 1955 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 40

MT HWY 91

Fair

Over: BEAVERHEAD RIVER

3M SW DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1945 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 582

S 489

Fair

Over: SUNDAY CREEK

3M N MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 1961 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 762

FDR 1278

Fair

Over: PINTLAR CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1981 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 15

GILLESPIE SLIDEROC

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK

GILLESPIE-SLIDEROCK, Missoula, MT

Built 1965 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 50

GATEWAY S RD

Fair

Over: GALLATIN RIVER 020

1M W GALLATIN GATEWAY, Gallatin, MT

Built 2001 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 100

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: RED MEADOW CREEK

1.9 MI W OF NORTH FORK RD, Flathead, MT

Built 1960 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 20

YOUNG CR ROAD

Fair

Over: YOUNG CR

YOUNG CREEK, Lincoln, MT

Built 1973 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 50

ACCESS ROAD

Fair

Over: LAYOUT CREEK

FROM N.P. VISITOR CENTER, Carbon, MT

Built 1983 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 23

I 90

Fair

Over: INT TARKIO COUNTY ROAD

13.7M W ALBERTON, Mineral, MT

Built 1959 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 4,036

I 90

Fair

Over: INT LOTHROP

2.5M E ALBERTON, Missoula, MT

Built 1963 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 4,525

I 90 WB

Fair

Over: INT VAN BUREN STREET

MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1964 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 14,839

I 90

Fair

Over: SEP SHEEP CAMP RD

3.7M W WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1966 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 4,591

I 90

Fair

Over: SEP SHEEP CAMP RD

3.7M W WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1966 Load: 38.1 t ADT: 4,591

Showing 2,751-2,800 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.