County profile · official public datasets

Butler County, NE

211 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 20.4% rated Good, 76.8% Fair, 2.8% Poor.

211
Public bridges
20.4%
Good condition
2.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Butler County pairs a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with a newer average build year than the state inventory.

Top 25%
lowest Poor share in state
2.8%
Poor-condition share
211
public highway bridges
1983
avg year built

Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.

Butler County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Butler County ranks #22 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 2.8%). Butler County, Nebraska contains 211 public highway bridges. Roughly 20.4% are rated “Good,” 76.8% “Fair,” and 2.8% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.

Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.

Total bridges

211

Public highway bridges in Butler County

Good condition

20.4%

43 of 211 rated 7-9

Fair condition

76.8%

162 of 211 rated 5-6

Poor condition

2.8%

6 of 211 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#22 of 88

Among Nebraska counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 211 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
20.4% (43)
Fair
76.8% (162)
Poor
2.8% (6)

Butler County's Poor-condition bridges carry 80 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 2.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 13 crossings a day against 2,357 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.

Computed over the 211 of 211 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

28.4% of Butler County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

60 of the 211 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 20.4% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.

Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

One structure carries 25% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

COUNTY ROAD VW over MIDDLE OAK CREEK, built 1935, carries 20 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 6-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 80 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Butler County's bridges were built

211 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 50 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 23.7% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1983, 6 years newer than the Nebraska average of 1977.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Butler County compares with Nebraska's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Butler County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 2.8% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1983 against a peer-group mean of 1976 is 7 years newer.

Showing the 5 closest of 87 Nebraska counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Butler County and the 5 Nebraska counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Stanton County 223 9.4%
Thayer County 220 5%
Fillmore County 218 8.7%
Adams County 211 6.2%
Butler County (this page) 211 2.8%
York County 205 2.9%

Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Butler County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year

Two NBI-derived peer sets for Butler County, both outside Nebraska so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (211 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1983 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 211 Good 43 Fair 162 Poor 6

Good-condition bridges (43)

COUNTY ROAD N

Good

Over: STREAM

6S DAVID CITY, Butler, NE

Built 1978 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10

FAS 3095

Good

Over: STREAM

COUNTY RD S- 26-27, Butler, NE

Built 1975 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 665

FAS 3085 CO RD V

Good

Over: SKULL CREEK

JCT N92/S-12F 2E 1.7N, Butler, NE

Built 1969 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 145

N64

Good

Over: STEELE CREEK

1E BELLWOOD, Butler, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,665

N64

Good

Over: STREAM

JCT N64/N15 2.5W, Butler, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,665

N64

Good

Over: STREAM

5E BELLWOOD, Butler, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,665

N66

Good

Over: STREAM

3W DWIGHT, Butler, NE

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 950

N92

Good

Over: STREAM

3W RISING CITY, Butler, NE

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,760

N92

Good

Over: STREAM

2E RISING CITY, Butler, NE

Built 1930 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,435

S12A LINWOOD SPUR

Good

Over: PLATTE RIVER TRIBUTARY

6W LINWOOD, Butler, NE

Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 510

S12E SURPRISE SPUR

Good

Over: TRIB TO KEYSOR CREEK

4N SURPRISE, Butler, NE

Built 1971 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 560

N15

Good

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER TRIB

16N SEWARD, Butler, NE

Built 1974 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 3,015

N66

Good

Over: PLUM CREEK

2W DWIGHT, Butler, NE

Built 1961 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 950

N15/N92

Good

Over: STREAM

21N SEWARD, Butler, NE

Built 1963 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 5,155

N64

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

3W BELLWOOD, Butler, NE

Built 1960 Load: 30.0 t ADT: 3,005

N64

Good

Over: STREAM

2W BELLWOOD, Butler, NE

Built 1960 Load: 30.0 t ADT: 3,005

N15

Good

Over: KEZAR CREEK

20N SEWARD, Butler, NE

Built 1974 Load: 31.0 t ADT: 3,015

N64

Good

Over: DEER CREEK

2E BELLWOOD, Butler, NE

Built 1960 Load: 32.0 t ADT: 2,665

COUNTY ROAD K

Good

Over: N BR BIG BLUE RIVER

.5W .8S GARRISON, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 55

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

10N SEWARD, Butler, NE

Built 1974 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,605

FRONTAGE ROAD

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK TRIBUTARY

157 FT LT R.P. 107+34, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 55

US81

Good

Over: STREAM

4S COLUMBUS, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 8,100

US81

Good

Over: STREAM

3S COLUMBUS, Butler, NE

Built 1992 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 8,100

S12C ULYSSES SPUR

Good

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER TRIB

JCT N15/S-12C 3.7W, Butler, NE

Built 1989 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 590

ROAD 39

Good

Over: SKULL CREEK TRIB

1.7S ABIE, Butler, NE

Built 2018 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 20

N66

Good

Over: OAK CREEK TRIBUTARY

3E DWIGHT, Butler, NE

Built 2017 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 805

N66

Good

Over: OAK CREEK

4E DWIGHT, Butler, NE

Built 2017 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 805

FAS 3430

Good

Over: SKULL CREEK

JCT N15/N64 2S 10.9E, Butler, NE

Built 1987 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 405

FAS 3030

Good

Over: S CH PLATTE RIVER

JCT US81/N64 1.1E 3N, Butler, NE

Built 2003 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 340

N15

Good

Over: BONE CREEK

3S SCHUYLER, Butler, NE

Built 1989 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 3,015

RD 22

Good

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER N BRANCH

.5S .7E ULYSSES, Butler, NE

Built 2020 Load: 37.0 t ADT: 45

US81

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

4.2S COLUMBUS, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 8,100

US81

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

4.2S COLUMBUS, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 8,100

US81

Good

Over: S CHANNEL PLATTE RIVER

4S COLUMBUS, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 8,100

US81

Good

Over: S CHANNEL PLATTE RIVER

4S COLUMBUS, Butler, NE

Built 1991 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 8,100

COUNTY HIGHWAY D/E

Good

Over: N BR BIG BLUE RIVER

.1N OF RISING CITY, Butler, NE

Built 2004 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 100

N15

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1SW OCTAVIA, Butler, NE

Built 2000 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 2,405

N15

Good

Over: BONE CREEK

2SW OCTAVIA, Butler, NE

Built 2000 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 2,405

COUNTY ROAD 41

Good

Over: SKULL CREEK

.5E ABIE, Butler, NE

Built 2016 Load: 52.0 t ADT: 202

COUNTY ROAD 39

Good

Over: BONE CREEK

2.5S 1.4W OCTAVIA, Butler, NE

Built 2023 Load: 57.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY ROAD U

Good

Over: STREAM

1S 1.8W ABIE, Butler, NE

Built 2023 Load: 57.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY ROAD 23 1/2

Good

Over: OAK CREEK TRIBUTARY

1.5 E OF DWIGHT, Butler, NE

Built 2023 Load: 60.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 27

Good

Over: PLUM CREEK

3.3N .2W DWIGHT, Butler, NE

Built 2023 Load: 62.0 t ADT: 30

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.