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

ORCHARD DR

Fair

Over: BLODGETT CREEK 013

2M N HAMILTON, Ravalli, MT

Built 1987 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 100

BOOTLEGGER TRAIL

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK 009

2M S GALATA, Toole, MT

Built 1987 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 100

OLD HWY 312

Fair

Over: BBWA CANAL 167

5M NE BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2005 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 7,499

US 2

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK OVERFLOW

2M E SACO, Phillips, MT

Built 1987 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 1,210

US 2

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK OVERFLOW

6M NW HINSDALE, Valley, MT

Built 1987 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 1,244

US 2

Fair

Over: GOUDGE COULEE

4M SE GLASGOW, Valley, MT

Built 1994 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,100

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: MOSQUITO CREEK

1M E WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1986 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 4,429

IRR - US 2

Fair

Over: LITTLE WOLF CREEK

2M E WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1988 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 4,429

US 287

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

3M NE WOLF CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1967 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 561

S 59

Fair

Over: THOMPSON CREEK

36M SE JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 1997 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 293

S 16

Fair

Over: THREE MILE CREEK

7M NE GLENDIVE, Dawson, MT

Built 1964 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,541

S 16

Fair

Over: GARDEN COULEE-STOCKPASS

1M S SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 1975 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,407

S 16

Fair

Over: ATOR CREEK

3M NW ANTELOPE, Sheridan, MT

Built 1984 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 1,481

S 16

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

3M N FROID, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1976 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 872

IRR - S 13

Fair

Over: CHELSEA CREEK

18M NE WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1992 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 366

S 200

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

5M NE RICHEY, Dawson, MT

Built 1958 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 305

MT 200

Fair

Over: DOG CREEK

4M E MOSBY, Garfield, MT

Built 1985 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 532

US 191

Fair

Over: ROSS FORK CREEK

2M N JUDITH GAP, Fergus, MT

Built 1990 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 2,077

S 201

Fair

Over: LONG GRASS CREEK

18M N RICHEY, Richland, MT

Built 1957 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 39

S 254

Fair

Over: S FK THIRTEEN MILE CREEK

1M S BLOOMFIELD, Dawson, MT

Built 1986 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 183

IRR - S 314

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

5M N DECKER, Big Horn, MT

Built 1981 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 475

IRR - S 438

Fair

Over: E FORK PORCUPINE CREEK

27M N NASHUA, Valley, MT

Built 1983 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 77

LITTLE BLACKFOOT R

Good

Over: LITTLE BLACKFOOT RIVER

5M S ELLISTON, Powell, MT

Built 1981 ADT: 100

GREENHOUSE RD

Good

Over: DEMPSEY CREEK

5M S DEER LODGE, Powell, MT

Built 2000 ADT: 23

S 200

Good

Over: DRAINAGE-STOCKPASS

18M E JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 469

S 200

Good

Over: PADEN COULEE

19M E JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 469

US 93

Good

Over: WILDLIFE CROSSING

2 MILES NORTH OF RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2007 ADT: 10,600

ISMAY RD

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

3.9M S ISMAY, Fallon, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 38

MT 141

Good

Over: THREEMILE CREEK

2 M N AVON, Powell, MT

Built 1961 ADT: 1,564

I90

Good

Over: MT Power RR Spur

Billings, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 14,315

I-90

Good

Over: Yellowstone River

Billings, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 14,315

East Side Road

Good

Over: Rock Creek

4M S RED LODGE, Carbon, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

East Side Road

Good

Over: Rock Creek

7M S Red Lodge, Carbon, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

CROW CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

20.7M N HAMMOND, Carter, MT

Built 2015 ADT: 100

UPPER HIGHWOOD CR

Good

Over: HIGHWOOD CREEK 040

4M SE HIGHWOOD, Chouteau, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

SHEEP CREEK RD

Good

Over: SHEEP CREEK

36M E MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 22

BONNIEVALE RD

Good

Over: SANDSTONE CREEK

N BAKER, Fallon, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

MERIDIAN ROAD

Good

Over: JEFFERSON RIVER

5M SE THREE FORKS, Jefferson, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

Foothill Road

Good

Over: Mission Res Inlet 043

6 M SE St ignatius, Lake, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

MOLLMAN PASS TRAIL

Good

Over: N KICKING HORSE RES 009

4M S RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

HILLSIDE ROAD

Good

Over: POST CREEK

7 M SOUTH RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

Flatwillow Road

Good

Over: Flatwilow Creek

12M S Winnett, Petroleum, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

MESSENGER ROAD

Good

Over: NO NAME DITCH 074

WILLIAMS, Pondera, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 12

RD 2051

Good

Over: EAST SHOTGUN CREEK 057

9 M N BAINVILLE, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

US 2

Good

Over: Unger Coulee

14 miles NW of Glasgow, Valley, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 100

S7-2ndAVE NE

Good

Over: Beaver Creek

NE Edge of Wibuax, Wibaux, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 1,060

S 248

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

7M E RICHLAND, Daniels, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 193

S 248

Good

Over: BUTTE CREEK

3M W SCOBEY, Daniels, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 390

IRR - S 251

Good

Over: Drainage

25 North East of Popular, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 87

SAINT PHILIP RD

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

11M S WIBAUX, Wibaux, MT

Built 2023 ADT: 36

Showing 3,201-3,250 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.