County profile · official public datasets

Madison County, NE

302 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 36.4% rated Good, 55.3% Fair, 8.3% Poor.

302
Public bridges
36.4%
Good condition
8.3%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Madison County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across mid-size county bridge inventory.

55th
of 88 on Poor share
8.3%
Poor-condition share
302
public highway bridges
1981
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.

Madison County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Madison County ranks #55 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 8.3%). Madison County, Nebraska contains 302 public highway bridges. Roughly 36.4% are rated “Good,” 55.3% “Fair,” and 8.3% “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

302

Public highway bridges in Madison County

Good condition

36.4%

110 of 302 rated 7-9

Fair condition

55.3%

167 of 302 rated 5-6

Poor condition

8.3%

25 of 302 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#55 of 88

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

Condition distribution

Share of 302 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
36.4% (110)
Fair
55.3% (167)
Poor
8.3% (25)

Madison County's Poor-condition bridges carry 12,305 vehicle crossings a day

That is 2.6% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 8.3% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 492 crossings a day against 2,623 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 302 of 302 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

35.8% of Madison County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

108 of the 302 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 36.4% 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 66.1% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

NORFLK AVE/FAU6020 over N FK ELKHORN RIVER, built 1968, carries 8,130 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 25-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 12,305 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Madison County's bridges were built

302 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 2000s, when 61 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 20.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 15 to 24 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1981) matches the Nebraska average (1977).

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

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

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Madison County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 8.3% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1981 against a peer-group mean of 1976 is 5 years newer.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Madison 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 303 7.9%
Madison County (this page) 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 Madison 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 Madison County, both outside Nebraska so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (302 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1981 here).

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

All 302 Good 110 Fair 167 Poor 25

All bridges (302)

FAS 2905

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT US81/N32 3N .7W, Madison, NE

Built 1993 Load: 37.0 t ADT: 240

FAS 2917

Fair

Over: ELKHORN RIVER

JCT US275/N121 3E .1S, Madison, NE

Built 1986 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 150

COLL 7635

Fair

Over: SHELL CREEK

5S N32 BOONE CL, Madison, NE

Built 1981 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 75

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

1W 4N OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 1999 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

9S 2E MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2001 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 25

839TH RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK TRIB

JCT US275/N45 4.2S 1.7E, Madison, NE

Built 1968 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 145

US275

Fair

Over: DEER CREEK

2E MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1992 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 4,565

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: UNION CREEK

11E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1959 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

2E 5N MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 1987 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

6E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2008 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 45

N32

Fair

Over: STREAM

2.6E MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2009 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 650

537TH RD

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

4.5S 2W OF MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1991 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 40

US275

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

0W MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1992 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 4,485

543RD AVE

Fair

Over: UNION CREEK N FK

4.2N 6E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2000 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 55

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

4.5S 1.5W BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 2000 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

7.5N 5E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1981 Load: 71.0 t ADT: 40

843RD RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

2.5E OF TILDEN, Madison, NE

Built 2003 Load: 78.0 t ADT: 55

841ST RD

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

.5S 3W OF MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1970 Load: 14.0 t ADT: 60

SOUTH AIRPORT RD

Good

Over: ELKHORN RIVER TRIB

3S 1.5W OF NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1993 Load: 14.0 t ADT: 270

FAS 2798

Good

Over: STREAM

1.2W OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1935 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 350

VICTORY RD

Good

Over: SPRING BRANCH

2NE OF NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1977 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 300

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: UNION CREEK

3N 5E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1972 Load: 19.0 t ADT: 45

FAS 2845

Good

Over: UNION CREEK

EJCT N32/N45 4E 2.3S, Madison, NE

Built 2007 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 160

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BATTLE CREEK

7.5S 4W OF BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 1996 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: STREAM

7.5N 1E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2002 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 40

829TH RD

Good

Over: BATTLE CREEK

6.5N .5E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1996 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 30

827TH RD

Good

Over: UNION CREEK N FK TRIB

7W 1S OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2005 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 40

826TH RD

Good

Over: UNION CREEK N FK TRIB

1S 7W OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2002 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: STREAM

1E OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2001 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 35

N32

Good

Over: STREAM

16W MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 930

N35

Good

Over: STREAM

ECL NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1953 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 6,605

US81

Good

Over: CORPORATION GULCH

0S NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1929 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 16,150

N121

Good

Over: STREAM

1S BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 970

US275

Good

Over: CORPORATION GULCH

0W NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1957 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 15,985

N 1ST / FAU 6009

Good

Over: SPRING BRANCH

N 1ST ST @ SPRING BR, Madison, NE

Built 1986 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,685

BENJAMIN/FAU6018

Good

Over: STREAM

NORFOLK BENJAMIN AVE., Madison, NE

Built 1970 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 15,250

MICHIGAN AVE

Good

Over: CORPORATION GULCH

17TH @ MICHIGAN NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1990 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7635

Good

Over: STREAM

4S N32 BOONE CL, Madison, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 75

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BATTLE CREEK

8.5S 1E OF MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2001 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

839TH RD

Good

Over: ELKHORN RIVER TRIB

.5S 3.2E OF BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 1993 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30

543RD AVE

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK UNION CR TRIB

6E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2021 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30

547TH RD

Good

Over: UNION CREEK N FK TRIB

JCT N32/N121 1E 3.2S, Madison, NE

Built 1978 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 35

549TH AVE

Good

Over: ELKHORN RIVER TRIB

JCT US275/N121 3E 1S, Madison, NE

Built 2001 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 150

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: STREAM

7.5N 4E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1975 Load: 27.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: STREAM

1.5N OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2004 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 50

537 AVE

Good

Over: BATTLE CREEK TRIB

10S 2W MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 2019 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: STREAM

1.5N 1W OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2004 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BATTLE CREEK

4.5S 1W OF BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 1985 Load: 29.0 t ADT: 60

837TH RD

Good

Over: DEER CREEK

4.5S 1E OF MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1993 Load: 31.0 t ADT: 50

FAS 2885

Good

Over: UNION CREEK

JCT US81/N32 3E .6N, Madison, NE

Built 1978 Load: 31.0 t ADT: 70

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

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
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.