Among the various damage detection methodologies, the Vibration-based damage identification (VBDI) methods stand out, since the deterioration present in structural elements directly influences the global and local dynamic response of the structure, causing changes in the dynamic parameters. The different approaches found in the literature review for dynamic damage detection focus mainly on one-dimensional or straight structures, which in turn may not represent the actual dynamic behavior of bold structures such as bridges and footbridges with different geometry. Some modal indices, namely modal curvature, modal flexibility, and modal strain energy were evaluated for a steel footbridge with curved geometry. For this purpose, a finite element model of it was used, from which the three-dimensional mode shapes were extracted. In addition, a recently proposed index, called resultant vector, which incorporates three-dimensional modal coordinates, is also evaluated and compared to the aforementioned ones. The results show that the accuracy of the indices for damage localization is correlated with the region of the structure where the damage is located. It is then concluded that for damage detection in a real structure, it is necessary to use more than one damage index. The impact of the damage magnitude on the accuracy of the indices is also studied. The influence of damage in adjacent beams and how this is reflected in the indices is also investigated in order to avoid ambiguity in damage location, and to correctly direct inspections and structural integrity monitoring programs.