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

S 323

Fair

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

17M SE EKALAKA, Carter, MT

Built 1957 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 314

IRR - S 344

Fair

Over: SHEEP CREEK

1M W FROID, Roosevelt, MT

Built 1956 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 196

S 543

Fair

Over: VAIL CREEK

2M N JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 1976 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 77

1-LANE ROAD

Fair

Over: WEST FORK ROCK CREEK

11 MILES W. OF RED LODGE, Carbon, MT

Built 1956 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 50

COUNTY ROAD 332

Fair

Over: USBR CANAL SPILLWAY 100

E EDGE SAVAGE, Richland, MT

Built 2002 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 100

SNAKE CREEK RD

Fair

Over: SNAKE CREEK 046

24M N HINSDALE, Valley, MT

Built 1986 Load: 17.5 t ADT: 14

HITCHCOCK RD

Fair

Over: DRY WOLF CREEK 096

6M SE DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 1980 Load: 17.7 t ADT: 4

PORCUPINE CR ROAD

Fair

Over: GALLATIN RIVER

GALLATIN CANYON, Gallatin, MT

Built 1951 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 99

COUNTY ROAD 130

Fair

Over: USBR MAIN CANAL 066

6M SW FAIRVIEW, Richland, MT

Built 2009 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 100

BAKER AVE

Fair

Over: WHITEFISH RIVER 113

WHITEFISH-BAKER AVE, Flathead, MT

Built 1977 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 5,913

DELANEY WAY

Fair

Over: POST CREEK 074

8M S RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2017 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

MINNEHAHA ROAD

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CREEK

INTERSECT MINNEHAHA&TENMI, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1955 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 30

RD 7593

Fair

Over: RADIO CR

BEND VERMILLION, Sanders, MT

Built 1955 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 50

I 15

Fair

Over: TUCKER CREEK ROAD

3.1M N DIVIDE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1976 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 2,436

I 15

Fair

Over: TUCKER CREEK ROAD

3.1M N DIVIDE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1976 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 2,436

I 90

Fair

Over: INT W GARRISISON-RR

GARRISON, Powell, MT

Built 1979 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5,165

I 90

Fair

Over: INT I-15

BUTTE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1963 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5,406

I 90

Fair

Over: INT I 15

BUTTE, Silver Bow, MT

Built 1963 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5,406

I 90

Fair

Over: RR

6.2M E REED POINT, Stillwater, MT

Built 1962 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5,353

I 90

Fair

Over: HENSLEY CR-HENSLEY CR RD

5.6M E COLUMBUS, Stillwater, MT

Built 1970 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 5,470

BEAR SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: WOLF CREEK 013

11M NE DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 1980 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 13

CUNNINGHAM RD

Fair

Over: DRY WOLF CREEK 094

6M S DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 1982 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

SOUTHSIDE CROSSING

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK 015

N DRY CREEK INT, Mineral, MT

Built 1982 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 293

MESSENGER RD

Fair

Over: NO NAME COULEE 072

6M NW CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1960 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

GOLD CREEK RD

Fair

Over: CLARK FORK RIVER 032

GOLD CREEK, Powell, MT

Built 1982 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 237

FRONTAGE ROAD 168

Fair

Over: SEP I 94 001

2M SW FALLON, Prairie, MT

Built 1969 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

1ST AVE NW

Fair

Over: NORTH FK FOX CREEK 090

WEST EDGE LAMBERT, Richland, MT

Built 1978 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

NOXON AVE E

Fair

Over: CABINET GORGE RESV 047

NOXON, Sanders, MT

Built 1922 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

1ST LN SE

Fair

Over: GREENFIELD CANAL 055

1M SE FAIRFIELD, Teton, MT

Built 1994 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

COUNTY LINE RD

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION CANAL 031

3M SE FAIRFIELD, Teton, MT

Built 1949 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

BEAVER CREEK RD

Fair

Over: LARB CREEK 106

6M SE SACO, Valley, MT

Built 1987 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 19

PRYOR CREEK RD

Fair

Over: PRYOR CREEK 001

7M S HUNTLEY, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1966 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

OLD HWY 312

Fair

Over: TWELVE MILE CREEK 169

2M W HUNTLEY, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1947 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 3,981

MILLER STREET

Fair

Over: MILL DITCH 041

LEWISTOWN-MILLER ST, Fergus, MT

Built 1973 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 100

US 93 FH 12

Fair

Over: STILLWATER RIVER

STRYKER, Lincoln, MT

Built 1955 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 2,411

US 93

Fair

Over: KOOTENAI CREEK

6M N VICTOR, Ravalli, MT

Built 2008 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 12,937

US 287

Fair

Over: INT AUGUSTA I 15

1M NE WOLF CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1966 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 561

IRR - US 212

Fair

Over: TONGUE RIVER

1M W ASHLAND, Rosebud, MT

Built 1949 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 2,019

S 200

Fair

Over: SKULL CREEK

18M W BROCKWAY, McCone, MT

Built 1939 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,012

S 285

Fair

Over: CROW CREEK

3M SE RADERSBURG, Broadwater, MT

Built 1948 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 202

LANGOHR ROAD

Fair

Over: HYALITE CREEK

PAST LANGOHR CAMPGROUND, Gallatin, MT

Built 1952 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 50

BEAVER CREEK ROAD

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

BEAVER CREEK 3, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2004 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: VERMILION RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 1965 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 50

FDR 1077

Fair

Over: SHEEP CREEK

JUMPING CREEK CAMPGROUND, Meagher, MT

Built 1958 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 50

RD 506

Fair

Over: ST REGIS RIVER

CLIFF-RAINY CR, Mineral, MT

Built 1954 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 50

I 94

Fair

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

1M N FALLON, Prairie, MT

Built 1978 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 2,191

E ROSEBUD RD

Fair

Over: EAST ROSEBUD CREEK 017

ROSCOE, Carbon, MT

Built 2010 Load: 18.5 t ADT: 76

RiceBran access Rd

Fair

Over: East Bench Canal

11 mi NW of Dillon MT, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1962 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 20

FDR 945

Fair

Over: RUBY CR

RUBY CR, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1968 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 20

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: LOST HORSE CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Ravalli, MT

Built 1968 Load: 18.8 t ADT: 14

Showing 351-400 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.