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

US 191

Good

Over: RR

JUDITH GAP, Wheatland, MT

Built 2009 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 2,199

S 540-E RIVER RD

Good

Over: SIX MILE CREEK

6M SW PRAY, Park, MT

Built 2006 Load: 39.9 t ADT: 257

IRR BIA RTE 8

Good

Over: OSWEGO SOUTH MAIN CANAL

3.2 KM EAST OF OSWEGO, Valley, MT

Built 1983 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 100

FORD WC ACCESS

Good

Over: TEPEE CREEK

FORD WORK CENTER, Flathead, MT

Built 2010 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 40

4445 KOOTENAI MTN

Good

Over: OBRIEN CREEK

.2 MILES FROM JCT W/331, Lincoln, MT

Built 1966 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 20

NFSR 8841

Good

Over: N.F. HIGHWODD CREEK

0.6 MI.SE RD.8841/121 JCT, Chouteau, MT

Built 2014 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 40

AUGUSTA RD

Good

Over: MIDDLE FORK DEARBORN 010

25M S AUGUSTA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2014 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 46

S 551

Good

Over: ARROW CREEK

3M N GEYSER, Judith Basin, MT

Built 2010 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 83

IRR BIA RTE 40

Good

Over: POPLAR RIVER

10 KM N OF PRYOR, Roosevelt, MT

Built 2000 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 200

LARSON LOOP RD

Good

Over: BOX ELDER CREEK

30 M S EKALAKA, Carter, MT

Built 2019 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 100

US 287

Good

Over: MISSOURI RIVER

TOSTON, Broadwater, MT

Built 2020 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,885

OLD SCOBEY RD

Good

Over: POPLAR RIVER

2M SW SCOBEY, Daniels, MT

Built 2021 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 100

MICKS DR

Good

Over: ROSS FORK CREEK

4M NW SIPPLE, Judith Basin, MT

Built 2021 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 112

I 15

Good

Over: SEP COUNTY RD 203

11.2M S MELROSE, Beaverhead, MT

Built 1973 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,902

I 15

Good

Over: INT HIGH ORE

3.7M E BASIN, Jefferson, MT

Built 1982 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 3,807

I 15

Good

Over: INT WOLF CREEK

WOLF CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1966 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 2,522

I 90 EB

Good

Over: INT VAN BUREN STREET

MISSOULA, Missoula, MT

Built 1964 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 14,839

I 90

Good

Over: SEP EDWARDS GULCH ROAD

DRUMMOND, Granite, MT

Built 1966 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,305

I 90

Good

Over: SEP EDWARDS GULCH ROAD

DRUMMOND, Granite, MT

Built 1966 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 4,305

I 90

Good

Over: BERRY CREEK

7.4M E REED POINT, Stillwater, MT

Built 1971 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 5,353

I 315S

Good

Over: FAU 5225-14TH ST SW

GREAT FALLS, Cascade, MT

Built 1967 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 6,196

US 2

Good

Over: PORCUPINE CREEK OVERFLOW

1M E NASHUA, Valley, MT

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 1,504

US 89

Good

Over: DRY FORK MARIAS RIVER

3M SE DUPUYER, Pondera, MT

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 485

US 93

Good

Over: WILDLIFE UPASS-DRAINAGE

3M N ST IGNATIUS, Lake, MT

Built 2006 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 7,419

US 12

Good

Over: RR

3M E HELENA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1978 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 18,929

CLEVELAND RD

Good

Over: THREE MILE CREEK

2M S CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 2014 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 849

S 248

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

2M W SCOBEY, Daniels, MT

Built 2007 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 390

EASTSIDE HWY

Good

Over: ETNA DITCH

8M S STEVENSVILLE, Ravalli, MT

Built 1997 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 3,586

S 508 FH 62

Good

Over: RED TOP CREEK

13M SW YAAK, Lincoln, MT

Built 1994 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 255

THREE MILE DR

Good

Over: N-109

KALISPELL-THREE MILE DR, Flathead, MT

Built 2014 Load: 40.8 t ADT: 6,050

LUMP GULCH ROAD

Good

Over: PRICKLY PEAR CREEK 074

1M N CLANCY, Jefferson, MT

Built 2007 Load: 41.2 t ADT: 100

LARB CREEK RD

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

S SACO, Phillips, MT

Built 2023 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 51

SPRING CREEK RD

Good

Over: STILLWATER RIVER 036

7M W ABSAROKEE, Stillwater, MT

Built 2018 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 100

IRR - US 89

Good

Over: S FORK CUT BANK CREEK

1M N KIOWA, Glacier, MT

Built 2018 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 830

NIXON GULCH ROAD

Good

Over: GALLATIN RIVER

2M NE MANHATTAN, Gallatin, MT

Built 2020 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 100

US 2

Good

Over: SWAMP CREEK

22 MILES NORTHWEST OF HAP, Lincoln, MT

Built 2018 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 1,597

US 2

Good

Over: RED ROCK COULEE

1M W CHINOOK, Blaine, MT

Built 2020 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 2,637

I 15

Good

Over: INT EMERSON JCT-RR

1M N GREAT FALLS, Cascade, MT

Built 1967 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 3,244

I 15

Good

Over: INT EMERSON JCT-RR

1M N GREAT FALLS, Cascade, MT

Built 1967 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 3,244

I 15

Good

Over: PONDERA COULEE

1M S CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1972 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 1,461

I 15

Good

Over: PONDERA COULEE

1M S CONRAD, Pondera, MT

Built 1972 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 1,461

I 90 EASTBOUND

Good

Over: BOULDER RIVER

0.6M E CARDWELL, Jefferson, MT

Built 1968 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 5,527

NORTH FORK RD

Good

Over: HAY CREEK 054

1M S POLEBRIDGE, Flathead, MT

Built 1979 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 394

MICHAEL RD

Good

Over: PABLO FEEDER CANAL 024

3M NE RONAN, Lake, MT

Built 2014 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 100

LYONS CREEK RD

Good

Over: LYONS CREEK 157

5M S WOLF CREEK, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 1990 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 100

WILLIAMS AVE

Good

Over: TEN MILE CREEK 003

1M W HELENA, Lewis and Clark, MT

Built 2010 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 3,050

OLD HWY 312

Good

Over: FIVE MILE CREEK 183

3M NE BILLINGS, Yellowstone, MT

Built 2005 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 11,193

US 93

Good

Over: WILDLIFE UNDERPASS

S OF RAVALLI, Lake, MT

Built 2006 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 8,330

US 12

Good

Over: DEEP CREEK

14M E TOWNSEND, Broadwater, MT

Built 2015 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 707

S 19

Good

Over: CHIPPEWA CREEK

3M N GRASS RANGE, Fergus, MT

Built 1962 Load: 41.7 t ADT: 586

Showing 4,601-4,650 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.