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

SNOWLINE LN

Fair

Over: ASHLEY CREEK 168

3M SE KALISPELL, Flathead, MT

Built 2003 Load: 52.6 t ADT: 100

TOM MINER CREEK RD

Fair

Over: TOM MINER CREEK

18M NW GARDINER, Park, MT

Built 2018 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 100

ROAD 261

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK 038

8M SW GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1988 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 579

COUNTY ROAD 549

Fair

Over: S FORK BURNS CR 065

10M NW INTAKE, Dawson, MT

Built 1992 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 100

STAR MEADOW RD

Fair

Over: LOGAN CREEK 085

6M S OLNEY, Flathead, MT

Built 1992 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 100

US 2

Fair

Over: WHATELY CREEK

6M SE GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 1987 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 2,100

S 59

Fair

Over: PUMPKIN CREEK

14M SE MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 1962 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 673

S 43

Fair

Over: SEYMOUR CREEK

12M NW WISE RIVER, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 2006 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 454

S 69

Fair

Over: BOULDER RIVER

BOULDER, Jefferson, MT

Built 2003 Load: 53.5 t ADT: 2,960

LESLIE RD

Fair

Over: ELBOW CREEK 036

2M SW EDGAR, Carbon, MT

Built 1913 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 100

S 200

Fair

Over: MAXWELL COULEE

22M E JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 2012 Load: 54.4 t ADT: 469

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: GLACIER CREEK

ELK CREEK ROAD, Missoula, MT

Built 1981 Load: 55.4 t ADT: 10

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: DALY CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Ravalli, MT

Built 1947 Load: 56.1 t ADT: 45

I 15

Fair

Over: RR-LOCAL

BUTTE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 2012 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 6,807

ELK CREEK RD

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK 051

4M S HERON, Sanders, MT

Built 1988 Load: 56.2 t ADT: 100

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: LOGAN CREEK

TALLY LAKE ROAD, Flathead, MT

Built 1974 Load: 57.7 t ADT: 60

I 94

Fair

Over: GRAVEYARD CREEK

1M E HATHAWAY, Rosebud, MT

Built 1962 Load: 58.1 t ADT: 2,602

RD 386

Fair

Over: ST REGIS RIVER

BIG CR RD 386, Mineral, MT

Built 1972 Load: 58.3 t ADT: 50

STORY HILL RD

Fair

Over: ROCKY CREEK

2M E BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 2005 Load: 58.6 t ADT: 100

LOWER RD

Fair

Over: COYOTE CREEK 085

1M SW DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 1977 Load: 59.1 t ADT: 73

RD 4785

Fair

Over: BIG CHERRY CR

UPPER BIG CHERRY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1966 Load: 59.3 t ADT: 50

IRR BIA RTE 1015

Fair

Over: HICKS CREEK

26 KM EAST OF ARLEE, Missoula, MT

Built 2001 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 20

US 93

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

4M N RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2008 Load: 59.9 t ADT: 5,692

S 200

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

6M E JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 2004 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 469

PENDROY RD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

5M W CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1955 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 480

S 294

Fair

Over: MARTINSDALE SUPPLY CANAL

MARTINSDALE, Meagher, MT

Built 2010 Load: 60.8 t ADT: 276

US 93

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

4M N RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2007 Load: 63.5 t ADT: 5,692

US 287

Fair

Over: O`DELL CREEK

SE ENNIS, Madison, MT

Built 2001 Load: 63.5 t ADT: 4,210

COAL MINE RD

Fair

Over: FT. BELKNAP CANAL 01

5M NW CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 1933 Load: 63.8 t ADT: 41

NORTH ENTRANCE ROA

Fair

Over: GARDNER RIVER

1.5 MI. SOUTH OF NORTH EN, Park, MT

Built 1957 Load: 64.4 t ADT: 2,294

US 2

Fair

Over: RICHARDSON COULEE

4M NW GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 1979 Load: 64.4 t ADT: 1,409

US 93

Fair

Over: WILDLIFE UNDERPASS

10M N WYE JCT, Missoula, MT

Built 2009 Load: 64.4 t ADT: 8,184

FOREST ROAD

Fair

Over: LOGAN CREEK

TALLY LAKE ROAD, Flathead, MT

Built 1976 Load: 64.5 t ADT: 60

IRR BIA RTE 127

Fair

Over: MILL POCKET-CAMAS CANAL

6.3KM NW OF NIARADA, Sanders, MT

Built 2004 Load: 65.3 t ADT: 10

NORTH LAKE MCDONAL

Fair

Over: CREEK

12.7 miles northeast of U, Flathead, MT

Built 2001 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 50

NORTH LAKE MCDONAL

Fair

Over: CREEK

12.7 miles northeast of U, Flathead, MT

Built 2001 Load: 67.1 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: WEST FORK SPRUCE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Powell, MT

Built 2020 Load: 68.0 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: EF SPRUCE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Powell, MT

Built 2020 Load: 69.0 t ADT: 50

US 87

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

1M SE RAYNESFORD, Judith Basin, MT

Built 1964 Load: 69.9 t ADT: 2,242

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: STORM LAKE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 2011 Load: 70.0 t ADT: 10

S HOLLAND LAKE RD

Fair

Over: HOLLAND CREEK 051

HOLLAND LAKE, Missoula, MT

Built 1949 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 100

LARB CREEK RD

Fair

Over: BLANCHE COULEE 084

25M S SACO, Valley, MT

Built 1960 Load: 72.6 t ADT: 51

8TH LN NE

Fair

Over: MUDDY CREEK 015

N COLLINS, Teton, MT

Built 1987 Load: 75.3 t ADT: 87

IRR - S 13

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

10M N VIDA, McCone, MT

Built 1995 Load: 75.3 t ADT: 979

TEN MILE RD

Fair

Over: COAL CREEK 005

18M S TERRY, Prairie, MT

Built 1987 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 100

IRR - S 13

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

1M E WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1978 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 1,459

IRR - S 39

Fair

Over: SHEEP CREEK

16M NW COLSTRIP, Rosebud, MT

Built 1982 Load: 76.2 t ADT: 782

JOCKO CANYON ROAD

Fair

Over: JOCKO RIVER 015

11M NE ARLEE, Lake, MT

Built 2003 Load: 77.8 t ADT: 100

I 94

Fair

Over: WHOOPUP CREEK

6M SW GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1976 Load: 78.9 t ADT: 4,537

S MULLAN TRAIL RD

Fair

Over: RR 028

9M E DRUMMOND, Powell, MT

Built 2000 Load: 79.8 t ADT: 100

Showing 3,101-3,150 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.