Total bridges
300
Public highway bridges in Dawson County
County profile · official public datasets
Dawson County, NE
300 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 68% rated Good, 28.3% Fair, 3.7% Poor.
- 300
- Public bridges
- 68%
- Good condition
- 3.7%
- Poor condition
The verdict
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.
Dawson County pairs a better-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.
- Top 35%
- lowest Poor share in state
- 3.7%
- Poor-condition share
- 300
- public highway bridges
- 1972
- 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.
Dawson County Bridge Snapshot
According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Dawson County ranks #31 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 3.7%). Dawson County, Nebraska contains 300 public highway bridges. Roughly 68% are rated “Good,” 28.3% “Fair,” and 3.7% “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.
Good condition
68%
204 of 300 rated 7-9
Fair condition
28.3%
85 of 300 rated 5-6
Poor condition
3.7%
11 of 300 rated 4 or below
In-state Poor-share rank
#31 of 88
Among Nebraska counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better
Condition distribution
Share of 300 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.
Good 68% (204)
Fair 28.3% (85)
Poor 3.7% (11)
Dawson County's Poor-condition bridges carry 480 vehicle crossings a day
That is 0.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 3.7% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 44 crossings a day against 1,847 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 300 of 300 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
49.3% of Dawson County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark
148 of the 300 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 68% 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 35.4% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic
CO RD 754/COL 7296 over CNPPID CANAL, built 1935, carries 170 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 11-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.
Share is of the 480 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.
When Dawson County's bridges were built
300 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade
- 1930s
1930–1939
58 bridges
- 1940s 1
1940–1949
1 bridges
- 1950s 11
1950–1959
11 bridges
- 1960s
1960–1969
63 bridges
- 1970s 27
1970–1979
27 bridges
- 1980s
1980–1989
80 bridges
- 1990s 23
1990–1999
23 bridges
- 2000s 17
2000–2009
17 bridges
- 2010s 11
2010–2019
11 bridges
- 2020s 9
2020–2029
9 bridges
What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 80 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 26.7% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1972, 5 years older than the Nebraska average of 1977.
How Dawson County compares with Nebraska's closest counties by inventory size
The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Dawson County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 3.7% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1972 against a peer-group mean of 1978 is 6 years older.
Showing the 5 closest of 87 Nebraska counties eligible for comparison.
| County | Bridges | Good | Fair | Poor | Avg. built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County | 313 | 47% | 46.6% | 6.4% | 1977 |
| Saline County | 312 | 67.3% | 24.7% | 8% | 1981 |
| Custer County | 303 | 58.4% | 33.7% | 7.9% | 1971 |
| Madison County | 302 | 36.4% | 55.3% | 8.3% | 1981 |
| Dawson County (this page) | 300 | 68% | 28.3% | 3.7% | 1972 |
| Cass County | 274 | 43.1% | 43.1% | 13.9% | 1980 |
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 Dawson 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 Dawson County, both outside Nebraska so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.
Similar inventory size
Nearest county inventories outside NE (300 bridges here).
- DeKalb County, AL · 300 bridges
- Christian County, KY · 300 bridges
- Washington County, MD · 300 bridges
- Newton County, MO · 300 bridges
Similar average build year
Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1972 here).
- Santa Clara County, CA · avg 1972 · 964 bridges
- Madison County, AL · avg 1972 · 710 bridges
- Kern County, CA · avg 1972 · 668 bridges
- York County, PA · avg 1972 · 569 bridges
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.
Good-condition bridges (204)
COUNTY ROAD 418
GoodOver: CNPPID CANAL
5S 2W OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 2023 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 100
ROAD 415
GoodOver: NPPID CANAL
1N 3E OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 2022 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 70
DRY FRK RD/COL7395
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
5.5S 1W OF EDDYVILLE, Dawson, NE
Built 1999 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 30
N21
GoodOver: STREAM
10S OCONTO, Dawson, NE
Built 1962 Load: 17.0 t ADT: 1,015
COUNTY ROAD 772
GoodOver: WOOD RIVER
NW EDGE OF EDDYVILLE, Dawson, NE
Built 1984 Load: 18.0 t ADT: 20
COUNTY ROAD 448
GoodOver: WOOD RIVER
2E OF SUMNER, Dawson, NE
Built 1981 Load: 19.0 t ADT: 80
COUNTY ROAD 750
GoodOver: SPRING CREEK
2.2S OF OVERTON, Dawson, NE
Built 1983 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 10
US283
GoodOver: PLATTE RIVER
3S LEXINGTON, Dawson, NE
Built 1963 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,205
ROAD 435
GoodOver: DAWSON CO DRAIN 1
_, Dawson, NE
Built 2021 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 1,441
CO RD 440/COL 7395
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
2S OF EDDYVILLE, Dawson, NE
Built 1978 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 30
COUNTY ROAD 753
GoodOver: BUFFALO CREEK
.7E OF OVERTON, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 40
COUNTY ROAD 751
GoodOver: SPRING CREEK
JCT US30/L-24B 1.8S 2.2W, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 25
COUNTY ROAD 438
GoodOver: WOOD RIVER
1.2NW OF EDDYVILLE, Dawson, NE
Built 1984 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 10
COUNTY ROAD 756
GoodOver: ELM CREEK
4.5E 3N OF OVERTON, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 20
COUNTY ROAD 410
GoodOver: PLUM CREEK
1E OF FARNAM, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10
WIGGINS CANYON RD
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
4S 1.2W OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 2001 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10
CO RD 772/FAS 1723
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
JCT US30/N47 6.3N 4.6E, Dawson, NE
Built 1975 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 95
COUNTY ROAD 412
GoodOver: COZAD CANAL
.5S OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 20
COUNTY ROAD 770
GoodOver: CREEK
JCT US30/N47 4.3N .4E, Dawson, NE
Built 1973 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25
COUNTY ROAD 408
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
2E 2.5N GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1994 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25
CO RD 769/COL 7372
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
JCT US30/N47 3.3N .5E, Dawson, NE
Built 1979 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 65
FAS 1610
GoodOver: DRAIN DITCH
5S 2.5E OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1972 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 295
COUNTY ROAD 768
GoodOver: STREAM
JCT US30/N47 2.3N 1.1E, Dawson, NE
Built 1978 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10
COUNTY ROAD 767
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
3E 1N GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1978 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25
DR 766
GoodOver: CREEK
BLUE HERN ST WILDLFE AREA, Dawson, NE
Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 12
ROAD 763
GoodOver: THIRTYMILE CANAL
2.5S 2.5W OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25
RECREATION ROAD
GoodOver: GALLAGER LAKE SPILLWAY
8.5S OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 75
WILEY CANYON ROAD
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
2.7S 4.5W OF EDDYVILLE, Dawson, NE
Built 2002 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10
CO RD 444/FAS 1855
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
JCT US30/L24B 1.1N, Dawson, NE
Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 615
COUNTY ROAD 445
GoodOver: STREAM
1.2N OF SUMNER, Dawson, NE
Built 1998 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 98
CO RD 771/FAS 1640
GoodOver: STREAM
JCT N40/S-24C .5S 6.2W, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 110
COUNTY ROAD 414
GoodOver: COZAD CANAL
2.5E OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1989 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 75
COUNTY ROAD 414
GoodOver: NPPID CANAL
2NE OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60
COUNTY ROAD 414
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
2E 2.5N OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1994 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25
CO RD 416/FAS 1723
GoodOver: COZAD CANAL
1.7N OF WILLOW ISLAND, Dawson, NE
Built 1981 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 140
CO RD 766/FAS 1630
GoodOver: NATURAL DRAIN
JCT US30/N47 .3N 1.7E, Dawson, NE
Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 565
COUNTY HIGHWAY
GoodOver: COZAD CANAL
.5S 3.7E OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1992 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50
COUNTY HIGHWAY
GoodOver: COZAD CANAL
.5S 4.7E OF GOTHENBURG, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50
COUNTY ROAD 418
GoodOver: COZAD CANAL
3.2N 1W OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 45
COUNTY ROAD 764
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
3N 1.2E OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1982 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 40
COUNTY ROAD 764
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
3N 3.2E OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1982 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50
COUNTY ROAD 763
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
1E 2N OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1991 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60
COUNTY ROAD 420
GoodOver: GOTHENBURG CANAL
JCT US30/N21 7.6N .5W, Dawson, NE
Built 1978 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 90
ROAD 760
GoodOver: PLATTE RIVER TRIB
1SW OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 5
CO RD 761/FAS 1620
GoodOver: FARMERS/MERCHANTS CANAL
JCT US30/L-24A 4N, Dawson, NE
Built 1995 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 520
CO RD 761/FAS 1620
GoodOver: SPRING CREEK
JCT US30/L-24A 4N .9E, Dawson, NE
Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 455
COUNTY ROAD 422
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
1E 3.2N OF COZAD, Dawson, NE
Built 1964 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 35
COUNTY ROAD 432
GoodOver: BUFFALO CREEK
3.5N 1W OF LEXINGTON, Dawson, NE
Built 1992 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 20
COUNTY ROAD 209
GoodOver: DRAINAGE DITCH
JCT US30/N47 2.9N .6E, Dawson, NE
Built 1979 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 130
COUNTY ROAD 770
GoodOver: FIELD DRAIN
1.5S 2W EDDYVILLE, Dawson, NE
Built 1989 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 20
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
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.