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

MAJERUS RD

Good

Over: BULL MTN RR 023

14M SE ROUNDUP, Musselshell, MT

Built 2009 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 36

KOOTENAI CREEK RD

Good

Over: KOOTENAI CREEK 048

2M NW STEVENSVILLE, Ravalli, MT

Built 2008 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 100

17TH ST W

Good

Over: BBWA CANAL

BILLINGS-17TH ST W, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1974 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 8,983

414 S.F.CALLAHAN

Good

Over: NO FK CALLAHAN CR

0.9 MILES PAST JCT W/427, Lincoln, MT

Built 1978 Load: 14.6 t ADT: 20

MILL CREEK RD.

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Park, MT

Built 2009 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 50

NFSR 575

Good

Over: CAMAS CREEK

CAMAS CREEK, Meagher, MT

Built 1986 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 10

NFSR 235

Good

Over: FORD CR.

FORD CR, Judith Basin, MT

Built 1983 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 50

OLD FREIGHT ROAD

Good

Over: MISSION CREEK 105

2M NW ST IGNATIUS, Lake, MT

Built 2012 Load: 14.9 t ADT: 100

ALLEN ROAD

Good

Over: COFFEE CREEK

9M NE DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 2021 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 100

ALKALI CREEK RD.

Good

Over: ALKALI CREEK

1M N BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2021 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 989

I 90

Good

Over: INT ORANGE STREET

MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1966 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 13,266

IRR - I 90

Good

Over: OWL CREEK

2.5M S LODGE GRASS, Big Horn, MT

Built 1985 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 1,978

MCDONALD LAKE RD

Good

Over: POST CREEK 078

6M N ST IGNATIUS, Lake, MT

Built 2015 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 100

NORRIS RD

Good

Over: HELENA VALLEY CANAL 114

4M NW HELENA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1958 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 488

KELLY RD

Good

Over: PONDERA COULEE 019

5M NE CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1960 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 100

VERMILION RD

Good

Over: TWELVE MILE CREEK 091

4M S SHEPHERD, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2005 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 100

BOOTLEGGER TRAIL

Good

Over: TETON RIVER

25M NE DUTTON, Chouteau, MT

Built 1966 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 41

S 365-BRADY RD

Good

Over: INT BRADY-I 15

BRADY, Pondera, MT

Built 1964 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 258

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BIG BEAVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 1976 Load: 15.6 t ADT: 20

UPPER HARB RD

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK 095

20M E MALTA, Phillips, MT

Built 1979 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 122

Good

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 003

3M SW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2000 Load: 15.9 t ADT: 100

ELK CREEK RD

Good

Over: ELK CREEK 113

12M S CLEARWATER JCT, Missoula, MT

Built 2005 Load: 16.2 t ADT: 100

RD 18720

Good

Over: WARD CREEK

WARD CREEK, Mineral, MT

Built 1972 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 50

SINCLAIR CREEK RD

Good

Over: SINCLAIR CREEK 161

3M NE EUREKA, Lincoln, MT

Built 1977 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 405

Good

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 005

6M SW SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2006 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 100

PISHKUN RD

Good

Over: DEEP CREEK 076

14M SW CHOTEAU, Teton, MT

Built 1986 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 100

7TH AVE N

Good

Over: MILK RIVER

HAVRE-7TH AVE N, Hill, MT

Built 1973 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 2,934

SHANNON RD

Good

Over: CANYON CREEK DITCH

2M E LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1984 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 1,844

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: NO DATA ENTERED

NO DATA ENTERED, Madison, MT

Built 2001 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 50

TAYLOR FORK ROAD

Good

Over: TAYLOR FORK CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Madison, MT

Built 2004 Load: 16.5 t ADT: 50

DRY FORK ROAD

Good

Over: E. BOULDER RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2007 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 50

I 15

Good

Over: LITTLE MUDDY CREEK

6M N CASCADE, Cascade, MT

Built 1958 Load: 16.8 t ADT: 2,424

JOHNSON BRIDGE RD

Good

Over: STILLWATER RIVER

2M NW ABSAROKEE, Stillwater, MT

Built 2021 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 66

I 15

Good

Over: BEAVERHEAD RIVER

0.6M N DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1973 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,996

I 15

Good

Over: BEAVERHEAD RIVER

0.6M N DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1973 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,996

I 15

Good

Over: LITTLE MUDDY CREEK

6M N CASCADE, Cascade, MT

Built 1958 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,424

I 90

Good

Over: INT ORANGE STREET

MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1966 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 11,726

TULLOCK CR RD

Good

Over: TULLOCK CREEK 030

20M NE HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 1985 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 35

GEYSER CUTOFF RD

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK 052

14M SW GERALDINE, Chouteau, MT

Built 1975 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

HINGHAM ROAD

Good

Over: SAGE CREEK 004

15M N HINGHAM, Hill, MT

Built 2009 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 11

S BOULDER RD

Good

Over: LWR S BOULDER RIVER 066

5M S JEFFERSON ISLAND, Madison, MT

Built 2003 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

HEIGHTS RD

Good

Over: LAKE FRANCIS CANAL 071

6M SW VALIER, Pondera, MT

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

HELSA RD

Good

Over: SEP I 15 012

2M N OILMONT, Toole, MT

Built 1971 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

S RAILROAD AVENUE

Good

Over: BLACKTAIL DEER CREEK 130

DILLON-S RAILROAD AVE, Beaverhead, MT

Built 2010 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 290

Good

Over: HELENA VALLEY CANAL 085

N OF HELENA AIRPORT, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1958 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

US 2

Good

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

5M W HAVRE, Hill, MT

Built 1954 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,457

0402: CAP WALLACE

Good

Over: ELK CREEK

2 mi S of Sunset Hill Rd, Missoula, MT

Built 1991 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 25

PORTAL CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: PORTAL CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Gallatin, MT

Built 2005 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 50

FDR 2475

Good

Over: WISE RIVER

ADSON CR., Beaverhead, MT

Built 1986 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 50

RED CLIFF CAMP RD

Good

Over: GALLATIN RIVER

RED CLIFF-GALLATIN CANYN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1968 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 99

Showing 3,301-3,350 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.