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

FOREST ROAD

Good

Over: ALDER CREEK

GOOD CREEK ROAD, Flathead, MT

Built 1983 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 50

NFSR 233

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

25.4 MI NW OF AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1978 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 26

FOREST GROVE RD

Good

Over: S FORK MCDONALD CR 072

GRASSRANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 2011 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 146

LIL BITTERROOT RD

Good

Over: WARM SPRING CREEK 093

4M E HOT SPRINGS, Sanders, MT

Built 2009 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 100

CENTER ST

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK 049

DEER LODGE-CENTER ST, Powell, MT

Built 2015 Load: 33.4 t ADT: 100

PLACID LAKE RD

Good

Over: OWL CREEK 076

3M S SEELEY LAKE, Missoula, MT

Built 1970 Load: 33.5 t ADT: 100

MERIDIAN RD

Good

Over: PONDERA COULEE 015

12M NE BRADY, Pondera, MT

Built 1960 Load: 33.5 t ADT: 100

NORTH FORK RD

Good

Over: MORAN CREEK 053

3M SE POLEBRIDGE, Flathead, MT

Built 2017 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 530

PARDUE RD

Good

Over: CUTBANK CREEK 035

15M NW CUTBANK, Glacier, MT

Built 2017 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 101

GLASTON RD

Good

Over: OTTER CREEK

7M SE MELVILLE, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2013 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 65

N00109

Good

Over: US 2

KALISPELL, Flathead, MT

Built 2016 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 21,520

I-90 E&W

Good

Over: ABANDONED RAILROAD

2.5M S OPPORTUNITY, Silver Bow, MT

Built 2019 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 14,818

BLUE SKY RD

Good

Over: NO NAME DITCH 076

4M SE VALIER, Pondera, MT

Built 2020 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 5

BRENNER LANE

Good

Over: TRAIL CREEK

12 M W GRANT, Beaverhead, MT

Built 2020 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

BRIDGER CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: BRIDGER CREEK

9M SE GREYCLIFF, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2022 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

I 15

Good

Over: INT GATES OF THE MTNS

17M S WOLF CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1962 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,340

I 15

Good

Over: INT GATES OF THE MTNS

17M S WOLF CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1962 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,340

I 15

Good

Over: SEP OLD US 91

3M S CASCADE, Cascade, MT

Built 1978 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,189

I 90

Good

Over: INT PIPESTONE

6.8M W WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,591

I 90

Good

Over: INT PIPESTONE

6.8M W WHITEHALL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,591

FRYING PAN ROAD

Good

Over: WEST SIDE CANAL 126

3M N DILLON, Beaverhead, MT

Built 2011 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 350

COTTONWOOD RD

Good

Over: CLARKS FK YELLOWSTNE 028

1M E SILESIA, Carbon, MT

Built 1997 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 414

CROW CREEK RD

Good

Over: CROW CREEK 033

17M NW HAMMOND, Carter, MT

Built 2015 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

ULM VAUGHN RD

Good

Over: SUN RIVER 057

2M S VAUGHN, Cascade, MT

Built 2013 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 695

OLD US HWY 2 N

Good

Over: CURLEY CREEK 005

18M N TROY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1927 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

N STILLWATER RD

Good

Over: STILLWATER RIVER 021

2M NE ABSAROKEE, Stillwater, MT

Built 2001 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

TETON CANYON RD

Good

Over: IRRIGATION CANAL 131

8M W CHOTEAU, Teton, MT

Built 2012 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 172

SELKIRK RD

Good

Over: MUSSELSHELL RIVER 018

6M W TWO DOT, Wheatland, MT

Built 2011 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 100

US 93 FH 19

Good

Over: E FORK BITTERROOT RIVER

S SULA, Ravalli, MT

Built 2003 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,037

US 93

Good

Over: LOST HORSE CREEK

7M N DARBY, Ravalli, MT

Built 1990 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,502

US 12

Good

Over: PRICKLY PEAR CREEK

EAST HELENA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1978 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 13,647

IRR - US 87

Good

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

BOX ELDER, Hill, MT

Built 1969 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 1,559

US 87

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

2M SW HAVRE, Hill, MT

Built 1966 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,878

US 287

Good

Over: MADISON RIVER OVERFLOW

ENNIS, Madison, MT

Built 2001 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,210

US 12

Good

Over: BIG PORCUPINE OVERFLOW

13M NW FORSYTH, Rosebud, MT

Built 1988 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 226

US 12

Good

Over: MCGRAWS COULEE

5M NW FORSYTH, Rosebud, MT

Built 2012 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 226

US 212 FH 59

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

8M SW RED LODGE, Carbon, MT

Built 1965 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 372

IRR - S 13

Good

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

23M NE WOLF POINT, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2019 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 179

IRR - US 212

Good

Over: ROSEBUD CREEK

BUSBY, Big Horn, MT

Built 1992 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,542

S 200

Good

Over: DUGOUT COULEE

27M SW JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 1973 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 534

BELL CROSSING

Good

Over: BITTERROOT RIVER OVERFLO

3M NE VICTOR, Ravalli, MT

Built 1974 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 2,762

BLUE CREEK RD

Good

Over: BLUE CREEK

2M S BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1972 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 9,171

CANYON FERRY RD

Good

Over: HELENA VALLEY CANAL

5M E HELENA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2009 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 4,806

HOWIE RD

Good

Over: OTTER CREEK

2M NE BIG TIMBER, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2000 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 481

S 508 FH 62

Good

Over: SPREAD CREEK

7M W YAAK, Lincoln, MT

Built 1989 Load: 33.6 t ADT: 269

S 336-OLLIE RD

Good

Over: FORK OF BEAVER CREEK

20M NE BAKER, Fallon, MT

Built 2016 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 31

IRR BIA RTE 19

Good

Over: PEOPLES CREEK

CHIPPEWA STREET IN HAYS, Blaine, MT

Built 2000 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 250

IRR - US 89

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK MILK RIVER

48 39 05.40, Glacier, MT

Built 2022 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 1,607

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BASS CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Ravalli, MT

Built 2001 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: DODGE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Lincoln, MT

Built 2002 Load: 33.7 t ADT: 25

Showing 4,251-4,300 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.