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 69

Good

Over: ANIMAL CROSSING

5M S BOULDER, Jefferson, MT

Built 2016 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 912

INDIAN CREEK ROAD

Good

Over: INDIAN CREEK

5.3M NE SHERIDAN, Madison, MT

Built 2012 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY RD 001

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

16M S JOPLIN, Liberty, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

S 340

Good

Over: PLUM COULEE CREEK

1M SE FALLON, Prairie, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 211

N RUSSEL STREET

Good

Over: CLARK FORK RIVER

MISSOULA-RUSSELL STREET., Missoula, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 17,245

LOST TRAIL ROAD

Good

Over: CANYON CREEK

10.2 MILES NW LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

SWAMP CREEK RD

Good

Over: SWAMP CREEK

5.9M N BIG TIMBER, Sweet Grass, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

NEW ALIGNMENT BUIL

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

3M EAST BAINVILLE, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 280

E MULLAN RD

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

.18M SE FRENCHTOWN, Missoula, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

I 15

Good

Over: INT CLANCY

CLANCY, Jefferson, MT

Built 1969 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,955

I 15

Good

Over: RR

2M N CRAIG, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1967 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,224

I 15

Good

Over: INT MANCHESTER

4M S VAUGHN, Cascade, MT

Built 1960 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 5,082

S 569

Good

Over: FRENCH GULCH 042

19M SW ANACONDA, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 2015 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 288

MONFORTON SCH RD

Good

Over: HYALITE CREEK 093

4M W BOZEMAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 2014 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

BOTHMAN DR

Good

Over: PIPE CREEK 121

4M NW LIBBY, Lincoln, MT

Built 2010 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

DERBY DR

Good

Over: NO NAME COULEE 027

2M SW CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 2005 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 100

FRONTAGE ROAD 683

Good

Over: BBWA CANAL 032

2M E LAUREL, Yellowstone, MT

Built 1965 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 3,060

US 2

Good

Over: SWAMP CREEK

24M NW HAPPY`S INN, Lincoln, MT

Built 2013 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,597

S 200

Good

Over: THOMPSON RIVER

5M SE THOMPSON FALLS, Sanders, MT

Built 2015 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,136

US 93 FH 19

Good

Over: E FORK BITTERROOT RIVER

7M SE CONNER, Ravalli, MT

Built 2003 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 1,069

US 93

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

4M S VICTOR, Ravalli, MT

Built 2011 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 15,526

US 287

Good

Over: ELK CREEK

AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2008 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 436

US 287

Good

Over: ELK CREEK OVERFLOW

AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2008 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 436

S 19

Good

Over: FORDS CREEK

7M N GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1962 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 586

S 300

Good

Over: FISH CREEK

1M S RYEGATE, Golden Valley, MT

Built 2014 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 171

IRR BIA RTE 37

Good

Over: LITTLE PEOPLES CREEK

AT ST PAULS MISSION, Blaine, MT

Built 2006 Load: 39.1 t ADT: 220

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: BLACKFOOT RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Powell, MT

Built 2011 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 31

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: N.F. LITTLE THOMPSON

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 2005 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 40

691 CAMP CR. ROAD

Good

Over: MADGE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Lincoln, MT

Built 2011 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 50

RD 112

Good

Over: E F PIPE CREEK

DARK PURCELL, Lincoln, MT

Built 2019 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: CHIPMUNK CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Sanders, MT

Built 2002 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 40

HORSE RANCH RD

Good

Over: ARMELLS CREEK 117

8M NW FERGUS, Fergus, MT

Built 2017 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 100

MILK RIVER RD

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK 038

2M NW HINSDALE, Valley, MT

Built 2017 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 100

S 209

Good

Over: SWAN RIVER

5M E BIG FORK, Flathead, MT

Built 2018 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,931

S 596

Good

Over: BIG CALIFORNIA CREEK

15M S ANACONDA, Deer Lodge, MT

Built 2019 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 288

IRR - US 2

Good

Over: S FORK FLATHEAD RIVER

HUNGRY HORSE, Flathead, MT

Built 2018 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 8,319

US 2

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

8M W CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 2020 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,783

STORM CASTLE ROAD

Good

Over: FRENCH CREEK

STORM CASTLE CREEK, Gallatin, MT

Built 2014 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 40

I 15

Good

Over: SEP NEUMAN SCH RD

2M N VAUGHN, Cascade, MT

Built 1972 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,000

I 315S

Good

Over: FAU 5225-14TH ST SW

GREAT FALLS, Cascade, MT

Built 1967 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 6,196

MONTAQUA RD

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK 047

MONTAQUA, Carbon, MT

Built 2014 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 100

TRAIL CREEK RD

Good

Over: STREVELL CREEK 042

25M SE MILES CITY, Custer, MT

Built 2018 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 56

BECK HILL RD

Good

Over: LITTLE BLACKFOOT R 023

3M E GARRISON, Powell, MT

Built 2011 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 48

US 2

Good

Over: RED BANK CREEK

4M E BAINVILLE, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2010 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,440

US 89

Good

Over: S FK DRY FK MARIAS RIVER

5M SE DUPUYER, Pondera, MT

Built 2013 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 485

US 93

Good

Over: WILDLIFE UNDERPASS

S OF RAVALLI, Lake, MT

Built 2006 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 8,330

US 287

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

5M SE AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2008 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 375

US 287

Good

Over: USRS CANAL

8M NE AUGUSTA, Teton, MT

Built 2005 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 587

US 87

Good

Over: PARK COULEE

16M S KLEIN, Musselshell, MT

Built 1995 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,497

S 200

Good

Over: ARRASTRA CREEK

12M SE OVANDO, Powell, MT

Built 2008 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 1,823

Showing 4,551-4,600 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.