Structure L06042011+07001 · Carter County, MT

Cottonwood CR RD over N Cottonwood Creek 037

Carries Cottonwood CR RD over N Cottonwood Creek 037, 17m NW Alzada.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
CAR · 15 FT56 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 6/9Substructure 6/9

56 ft end to end. Lengths and the car on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a multi-beam bridge.

Built1938rebuilt 1999
Length55.8 ft17 m
Daily traffic100counted 2025
Last inspectedSeptember 2023every 24 months

Location

StateMontana
CountyCarter
Location17m NW Alzada
CarriesCottonwood CR RD
CrossesN Cottonwood Creek 037
Coordinates45.21657, -104.50479

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length55.8 ft (17 m)
Max Span55.8 ft (17 m)
Deck Width17.1 ft (5.2 m)
Deck Area88.4 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1938 (reconstructed 1999)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic100 (2025)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge1

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCounty Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure NumberL06042011+07001

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.

Nearby Bridges