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 261

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

23M S SIDNEY, Richland, MT

Built 2008 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 74

YORK RD

Good

Over: TROUT CREEK

15M NE HELENA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1982 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 470

RAILROAD AVE

Good

Over: INT ALBERTON-I 90

ALBERTON-RAILROAD AVE, Mineral, MT

Built 1963 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 649

S ORANGE ST

Good

Over: PEDESTRIAN-BIKE PATH

MISSOULA-S ORANGE ST, Missoula, MT

Built 2002 Load: 36.3 t ADT: 22,614

CATARACT CREEK RD

Good

Over: CATARACT CREEK 071

4M W BASIN, Jefferson, MT

Built 2005 Load: 36.4 t ADT: 100

CATARACT CREEK RD

Good

Over: CATARACT CREEK 072

7M W BASIN, Jefferson, MT

Built 2005 Load: 36.4 t ADT: 100

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: VAN NESS CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Mineral, MT

Built 2019 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 50

PETTY CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: PETTY CREEK 117

9M S ALBERTON, Missoula, MT

Built 2013 Load: 36.6 t ADT: 388

DRY CREEK RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK 119

9M N BELGRADE, Gallatin, MT

Built 2009 Load: 36.7 t ADT: 260

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: HUGHES CR

NO DATA ENTERED, Ravalli, MT

Built 2016 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 5

FOREST ROAD

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

SALISH TRAPPER ROAD, Missoula, MT

Built 1970 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 5

HYALITE ROAD

Good

Over: EAST FORK HYALITE CREEK

HYALITE DRAINAGE, Gallatin, MT

Built 2014 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 40

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: RICH CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Lincoln, MT

Built 2006 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 25

SURVEYOR CREEK

Good

Over: SURVEYOR CREEK

SURVEYOR CREEK, Mineral, MT

Built 2015 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 40

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: DUNHAM CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Powell, MT

Built 2020 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 50

STONE BARN LN

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK 142

10M S MOORE, Fergus, MT

Built 2012 Load: 36.9 t ADT: 100

SHEPHERD X-ING RD

Good

Over: HIGHWOOD CREEK 001

4M NW HIGHWOOD, Chouteau, MT

Built 2017 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

LOWER SWEET GRASS

Good

Over: SWEET GRASS CREEK 01

12M NE BIG TIMBER, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2017 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 15

IRR BIA RTE 73

Good

Over: BIG HORN CANAL

4.5 KM SE OF ST. XAVIER, Big Horn, MT

Built 1986 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 200

HORSE CAMP ROAD

Good

Over: SACAGAWEA RIVER

38 MILES NORTH OF WINNETT, Petroleum, MT

Built 2015 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

US 287

Good

Over: RR

TOSTON, Broadwater, MT

Built 2020 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,885

P 81

Good

Over: JUDITH RIVER

11M SE DENTON, Fergus, MT

Built 2020 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 263

P-81

Good

Over: WARM SPRING CREEK

13M SW HILGER, Fergus, MT

Built 2020 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 375

I 15

Good

Over: INT CRAIG

CRAIG, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,127

I 15

Good

Over: INT CRAIG

CRAIG, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,127

I 15

Good

Over: SEP 9TH RD NE

3M N POWER, Teton, MT

Built 1972 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,505

I 15

Good

Over: SEP 9TH RD NE

3M N POWER, Teton, MT

Built 1972 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,505

I 90

Good

Over: INT LOZEAU COUNTY ROAD

7.4M E SUPERIOR, Mineral, MT

Built 1967 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 7,551

I 90

Good

Over: INT BEARMOUTH

BEARMOUTH, Granite, MT

Built 1970 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 5,990

I 90

Good

Over: SEP HEEB ROAD

2.5M E MANHATTAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 1965 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 9,601

I 90

Good

Over: FLY CREEK

16.8M W HARDIN, Big Horn, MT

Built 1972 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 3,688

WILLOW GLEN RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK 004

1M W OPPORTUNITY, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 2015 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 252

HENDERSON CREEK RO

Good

Over: FLINT CREEK 035

11M S DRUMMOND, Granite, MT

Built 2013 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

DUNN LN

Good

Over: BOULDER RIVER 028

20M SE BOULDER, Jefferson, MT

Built 2015 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

DOUBLE G RD

Good

Over: SAGE CREEK 005

12M E STANFORD, Judith Basin, MT

Built 2002 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

S VALLEY CREEK RD

Good

Over: JOCKO RIVER 056

4M NW ARLEE, Lake, MT

Built 2012 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 122

DEARBORN CANYON RD

Good

Over: DEARBORN RIVER 048

1M SW BEAN LAKE, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1982 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 117

LAKE COMO RD

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK 100

4M N DARBY, Ravalli, MT

Built 1977 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

BELLVIEW RD

Good

Over: DOG CREEK 062

8M SW CHOTEAU, Teton, MT

Built 2013 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

S BELLVIEW RD

Good

Over: DOG CREEK 069

6M SW CHOTEAU, Teton, MT

Built 2013 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 100

US 2

Good

Over: PARMENTER CREEK

1M NW LIBBY, Lincoln, MT

Built 1970 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 3,663

US 93 FH 19

Good

Over: E FORK BITTERROOT RIVER

S SULA, Ravalli, MT

Built 2003 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 1,069

US-12

Good

Over: WHETSTONE CREEK

5M E CHECKERBOARD, Meagher, MT

Built 2012 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 341

LAKE ST

Good

Over: BAKER LAKE OVERFLOW

BAKER-LAKE ST, Fallon, MT

Built 2009 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 2,379

CALIFORNIA AVE

Good

Over: RR

LIBBY-CALIFORNIA AVE, Lincoln, MT

Built 1999 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,743

S 200

Good

Over: VAIL CREEK-STOCKPASS

2M E JORDAN, Garfield, MT

Built 2004 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 514

US 89 FH 32

Good

Over: DRY FORK BELT CREEK

MONARCH, Cascade, MT

Built 2014 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 448

S 19

Good

Over: MCDONALD CREEK

2M N GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1962 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 586

HIGHWOOD RD

Good

Over: BELT CREEK

6M S HIGHWOOD, Cascade, MT

Built 2009 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 456

MAIN ST

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

DEER LODGE-MAIN ST, Powell, MT

Built 2014 Load: 37.2 t ADT: 4,979

Showing 4,451-4,500 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.