County profile · official public datasets

Johnson County, NE

173 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 47.4% rated Good, 27.2% Fair, 25.4% Poor.

173
Public bridges
47.4%
Good condition
25.4%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Johnson 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.

86th
of 88 on Poor share
25.4%
Poor-condition share
173
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.

Johnson County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Johnson County ranks #86 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 25.4%). Johnson County, Nebraska contains 173 public highway bridges. Roughly 47.4% are rated “Good,” 27.2% “Fair,” and 25.4% “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

173

Public highway bridges in Johnson County

Good condition

47.4%

82 of 173 rated 7-9

Fair condition

27.2%

47 of 173 rated 5-6

Poor condition

25.4%

44 of 173 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#86 of 88

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

Condition distribution

Share of 173 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
47.4% (82)
Fair
27.2% (47)
Poor
25.4% (44)

Johnson County's Poor-condition bridges carry 1,795 vehicle crossings a day

That is 3.4% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 25.4% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 41 crossings a day against 453 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 173 of 173 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

45.1% of Johnson County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

78 of the 173 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 47.4% 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 21.2% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

N62 over N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER, built 1958, carries 380 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 44-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 1,795 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Johnson County's bridges were built

173 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1930s, when 55 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 31.8% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 85 to 94 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 Johnson County compares with Nebraska's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Johnson County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 25.4% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1971 against a peer-group mean of 1973 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Johnson County and the 5 Nebraska counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Pierce County 177 13.6%
Hamilton County 175 12%
Merrick County 173 8.7%
Johnson County (this page) 173 25.4%
Burt County 169 3%
Furnas County 169 9.5%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (173 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 173 Good 82 Fair 47 Poor 44

Poor-condition bridges (44)

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER

3.5W 2.5N OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1.5N 2W OF VESTA, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: YANKEE CREEK

3W OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1915 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1N 1W OF ELK CREEK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: HOOKER CREEK

.5S OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

2.4E 4S OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

2.5S OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

JCT US136/N50 2.2E 1N, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SAMPSON BRANCH

9.5W OF ELK CREEK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

1S 4E OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: S FK LITTLE NEMAHA RIVER

3W .3 S OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

607 AVE

Poor

Over: YANKEE CREEK

1SW OF CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 2.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1.5E 1.5S OF CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1952 Load: 2.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER

3.5W 2.2N OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 3.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1S 4E OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 4.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: MANNS BRANCH

5S OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 4.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER

1.5N 2.3W OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BADGER BRANCH

1S 3.2W OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

1S 2.3W OF ST. MARY, Johnson, NE

Built 1910 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: LOST BRANCH

1.5SW OF VESTA, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

3.5S OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: LONG BRANCH

2.4E 2.3N OF ELK CREEK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 6.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SILVER CREEK

1.3S 6W OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 6.0 t ADT: 30

737 RD

Poor

Over: SAUNDERS CREEK

8.5 W OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 7.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BADGER BRANCH

4W 1.75S OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 7.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

.5W 3.5N OF VESTA, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BADGER BRANCH

.5S 2.2W OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 70

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1.2E OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 45

COLL 7888

Poor

Over: STREAM

2S 4.7E OF CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 40

726 RD

Poor

Over: BREWERS BRANCH

.5S 1.5E OF VESTA, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

2.5S 1W OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: LOST BRANCH

1E 3S 1E CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1974 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: MUDDY CREEK

JCT US136/N50 5E 1N, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 11.0 t ADT: 20

ELM STREET

Poor

Over: S FORK LITTLE NEMAHA TRI

COOK ELM @ THIRD, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 12.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: CORSON BRANCH

.5W 2S OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 13.0 t ADT: 10

724 RD

Poor

Over: LONG BRANCH

2N 2.2E OF ELK CREEK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 13.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER

4W 3.5N OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1950 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: TURKEY CREEK

2S 3.7W OF COOK, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SANDERS CREEK

2.5E 2.5N OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1940 Load: 17.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

JCT US136/N50 1N 3.3W, Johnson, NE

Built 1950 Load: 17.0 t ADT: 50

611 AVE

Poor

Over: LOST BRANCH

2.5E 2.5S OF CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 19.0 t ADT: 40

N62

Poor

Over: N FK BIG NEMAHA RIVER

JCT N50/N62 3E, Johnson, NE

Built 1958 Load: 25.0 t ADT: 380

611 AVE

Poor

Over: LOST BRANCH

3E OF CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BADGER BRANCH

JCT US136/N50 2S 4.5W, Johnson, NE

Built 2010 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 30

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

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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.