County profile · official public datasets

Custer County, NE

303 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 58.4% rated Good, 33.7% Fair, 7.9% Poor.

303
Public bridges
58.4%
Good condition
7.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Custer County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

52nd
of 88 on Poor share
7.9%
Poor-condition share
303
public highway bridges
1971
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.

Custer County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Custer County ranks #52 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.9%). Custer County, Nebraska contains 303 public highway bridges. Roughly 58.4% are rated “Good,” 33.7% “Fair,” and 7.9% “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

303

Public highway bridges in Custer County

Good condition

58.4%

177 of 303 rated 7-9

Fair condition

33.7%

102 of 303 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.9%

24 of 303 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#52 of 88

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

Condition distribution

Share of 303 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
58.4% (177)
Fair
33.7% (102)
Poor
7.9% (24)

Custer County's Poor-condition bridges carry 1,015 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.8% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 42 crossings a day against 493 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 303 of 303 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

48.5% of Custer County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

147 of the 303 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 58.4% 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 41.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

FAS 1670 over SPRING CREEK, built 1963, carries 425 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 24-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 1,015 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Custer County's bridges were built

303 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 51 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 16.8% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1971, 6 years older than the Nebraska average of 1977.

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

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

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Custer County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.9% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1971 against a peer-group mean of 1978 is 7 years older.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Custer County and the 5 Nebraska counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Knox County 329 3%
Cedar County 313 6.4%
Saline County 312 8%
Custer County (this page) 303 7.9%
Madison County 302 8.3%
Dawson County 300 3.7%

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 Custer 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 Custer County, both outside Nebraska so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (303 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1971 here).

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

All 303 Good 177 Fair 102 Poor 24

All bridges (303)

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

4W OF BROKEN BOW #222, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 1.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

2N 2W OF MASON CITY #616A, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 2.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST BOXELDER CREEK

.5S 14E OF OCONTO #503A, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 2.0 t ADT: 25

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

1.5N 11E OF OCONTO #583, Custer, NE

Built 1967 Load: 4.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

6S OF CALLAWAY #411, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 4.0 t ADT: 5

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: TILTOTSONS CANYON

4W 1N OF ANSLEY #601, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 4.0 t ADT: 15

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: WOOD RIVER

5SE OF OCONTO, Custer, NE

Built 1932 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

4S 1E OF CALLAWAY #410, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 15

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

.5SE BERWYN #163, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 30

DR 789

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

6E .5S OF CALLAWAY #534, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 6.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3N 8E OF BROKEN BOW #9, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 6.0 t ADT: 5

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH LOUP RIVER

2.5NW OF ARNOLD NO. 453, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: VICTORIA CREEK

9.5N .5E OF MERNA #314, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 30

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

1E 5N OF CALLAWAY #509, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 5

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: LILLIAN CREEK

10W 1S OF SARGENT #112, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 75

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: ASH CREEK

5.5E 3N OF OCONTO #573, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

14S 1E OF ANSLEY #666, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH LOUP RIVER

3E OF ARNOLD #455, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3N 10E OF BROKEN BOW #13, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 50

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

6.5N 4.5E OF ANSLEY #634, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

6N 5E OF ANSLEY #633, Custer, NE

Built 1940 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 15

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

3NW BERWYN #238, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 15

CO HIWAY/FARM LNE

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.5N OF MASON CITY #686, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

RD 452

Fair

Over: MILBURN-SARGENT CANAL

2N 1W OF SARGENT, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

6.2W 2.3N OF BERWYN #235, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 40

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

SW EDGE OF CALLAWAY #434, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 80

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: VICTORIA CREEK

15W OF SARGENT #104, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

1.5S 1E ANSLEY #649A, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

6N 1E OF ANSLEY #24, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 30

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3.5N 3W WESTERVILLE #14, Custer, NE

Built 1920 Load: 13.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

2.5 NW ANSLEY #602, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 14.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: MILBURN-SARGENT CANAL

2N OF SARGENT, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 14.0 t ADT: 5

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

.5N 1.1E OF MASON C.#648A, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 14.0 t ADT: 100

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

.5E .6N OF MASON C. #625A, Custer, NE

Built 1950 Load: 14.0 t ADT: 40

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: SOUTH LOUP RIVER

.5NW OF CALLAWAY #405, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 70

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.2NW BERWYN #239, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 20

FAS 1660

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

JCT N40/N21 11N 7.3W, Custer, NE

Built 1963 Load: 16.0 t ADT: 360

FAS 1670

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

JCT N21/N92 .5N 3.5W, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 17.0 t ADT: 540

SARGENT RD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE LOUP RIVER

JCT N2/S-21A 15.5E 2.5N, Custer, NE

Built 1968 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 410

HAZLETT STREE

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

BERWYN HAZLETT @ CURRAN, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 100

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

.5N OF WESTERVILLE #20, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 19.0 t ADT: 5

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: WOOD RIVER

2.5S 3.2E OCONTO #511A, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 20

COLL 7417

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

2E 3.7N OF CALLAWAY #508, Custer, NE

Built 1975 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 90

COLL 7397

Fair

Over: STREAM

6.5W 7S OF CALLAWAY #427, Custer, NE

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 55

COLL 7417

Fair

Over: STREAM

2S 1W OF ANSELMO #352, Custer, NE

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 150

COLL 7417

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.5S 1W OF ANSELMO #353, Custer, NE

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 150

FAS 1670

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT N21/N92 .5N 6.7W, Custer, NE

Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 540

FAS 1650

Fair

Over: POWELL CANYON

JCT N21/N92 1.5S 21.5W, Custer, NE

Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 250

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3N 10E OF BERWYN, Custer, NE

Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60

5TH ST/FAS 1745

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

BROKEN BOW 5TH @ B, Custer, NE

Built 1972 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,475

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.