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County Road 3S over Empire Canal

Rio Grande County, Colorado · rated Fair in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory

United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled August 20, 2026

County Road 3S over Empire Canal in Rio Grande County, Colorado, is rated in fair condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of August 20, 2026).
Its lowest-rated component is the superstructure, rated 5 (fair condition) on the 0-9 scale.
It was built in 1968, making it 57 years old at the 2025 inventory.
It carries about 42 vehicles a day (traffic count year 2022).
Its listed owner is the county highway agency.
It is one of 55 of the 73 inventoried bridges in Rio Grande County rated fair (75.3%); 0 (0.0%) are rated poor.
A fair rating means the lowest-rated major component scores 5 or 6 on FHWA's 0-9 scale: some deterioration or minor section loss, but the structure is sound. It is the middle class, not a warning.

Component ratings


Structure	Steel stringer or multi-beam girder
Length	about 40 ft
Location	1.1 Mi E of CR. 3E
NBI structure number	RGDS03-04.10E
Condition class	Fair

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 data as reported by the Colorado department of transportation.

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
US 160 Ml over Empire Canal	1972	7,700	Fair
US 160 Ml over Willow Creek	1977	4,800	Good
US 160 Ml over S Fk Rio Grande River	1981	4,800	Fair
US 160 Ml over Monte Vista Canal	1970	4,600	Fair
US 285 Ml over Rio Grande	1971	4,500	Good
SH 112 Ml over Farmers Union Canal	1938	2,300	Fair