County profile · official public datasets

Red Willow County, NE

80 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 60% rated Good, 35% Fair, 5% Poor.

80
Public bridges
60%
Good condition
5%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Red Willow 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 45%
lowest Poor share in state
5%
Poor-condition share
80
public highway bridges
1970
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.

Red Willow County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Red Willow County ranks #40 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 5%). Red Willow County, Nebraska contains 80 public highway bridges. Roughly 60% are rated “Good,” 35% “Fair,” and 5% “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

80

Public highway bridges in Red Willow County

Good condition

60%

48 of 80 rated 7-9

Fair condition

35%

28 of 80 rated 5-6

Poor condition

5%

4 of 80 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#40 of 88

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

Condition distribution

Share of 80 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
60% (48)
Fair
35% (28)
Poor
5% (4)

Red Willow County's Poor-condition bridges carry 110 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 5% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 28 crossings a day against 1,298 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 80 of 80 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

55% of Red Willow County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

44 of the 80 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 60% 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 45.5% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

FAS 1525 over DRIFTWOOD CREEK, built 1975, carries 50 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 4-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 110 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Red Willow County's bridges were built

80 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1930s, when 17 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 85 to 94 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1970, 7 years older than the Nebraska average of 1977.

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

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

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Red Willow County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 5% Poor share is the 3rd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1970 against a peer-group mean of 1974 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Red Willow County and the 5 Nebraska counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Greeley County 84 16.7%
Phelps County 80 7.5%
Red Willow County (this page) 80 5%
Hitchcock County 77 3.9%
Dakota County 73 9.6%
Deuel County 73 1.4%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (80 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1970 here).

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

All 80 Good 48 Fair 28 Poor 4

Good-condition bridges (48)

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

3E DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1959 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 330

FAS 1525

Good

Over: STREAM

WJCT US6/US83 5.3W 2.1N, Red Willow, NE

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 75

FAS 1450

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

EJCT US6/US83 .9S 2E, Red Willow, NE

Built 1993 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 230

COLL 7278

Good

Over: STREAM

4W .5N OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1998 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 230

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.9S OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1987 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 45

US6/US34

Good

Over: KELLY CREEK

IN MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,960

US6/US34

Good

Over: RIVER CANYON

6E MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 2017 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,330

US6/US34

Good

Over: STREAM

2W INDIANOLA, Red Willow, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,670

US6/US34

Good

Over: STREAM

1.5E INDIANOLA, Red Willow, NE

Built 1948 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,145

US6/US34

Good

Over: STREAM

1.5W BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1948 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,145

US6/US34

Good

Over: STREAM

.5W BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1949 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,145

US6/US34

Good

Over: STREAM

4.1E BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1949 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,035

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

3W DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 580

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

2W DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 580

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

2W DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 580

N89

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK TRIB

1E DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1959 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 330

N89

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1W LEBANON, Red Willow, NE

Built 1959 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 330

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRIFTWOOD CREEK

3.4S 3.5W OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1997 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 20

US83

Good

Over: BNSF RR 077-581-P

0S MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1983 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 6,425

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1N 2.4E OF LEBANON, Red Willow, NE

Built 2017 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

4E DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1960 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 330

FAS 1535

Good

Over: REPUBLICAN RIVER

WJCT US6/US83 .8S 2.2W, Red Willow, NE

Built 1977 Load: 25.0 t ADT: 520

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

1W DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1961 Load: 26.0 t ADT: 580

N89

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1E LEBANON, Red Willow, NE

Built 1958 Load: 32.0 t ADT: 300

FAS 1525

Good

Over: REPUBLICAN RIVER

WJCT US6/US83 .2S 4.3W, Red Willow, NE

Built 1976 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRIFTWOOD CREEK

.7W 1.5S OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1983 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 90

US6/US34

Good

Over: STEVENSON CANYON CR

.3E BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 2020 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,035

N89

Good

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

5NE LEBANON, Red Willow, NE

Built 1958 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 300

COLL 7285

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

3E .9N OF DANBURY, Red Willow, NE

Built 1993 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 85

FAS 1545

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

JCT US83/N89 9E 2.8N, Red Willow, NE

Built 1990 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 100

COLL 7276

Good

Over: DRIFTWOOD CREEK

2.5S 1.5W OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1989 Load: 37.0 t ADT: 145

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: RED WILLOW CREEK

EJCT US6/US83 2.3N 7E, Red Willow, NE

Built 1993 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 245

COLL 7280

Good

Over: RED WILLOW CREEK

2.2N 6.2W OF INDIANOLA, Red Willow, NE

Built 1993 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 115

FAS 1553

Good

Over: RED WILLOW CREEK

2.5E 7N OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1995 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 110

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

1.2S OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1988 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 85

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: DRIFTWOOD CREEK

1W 2.5S OF MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1998 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 10

US6/US34

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

IN BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 2020 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 3,090

US83

Good

Over: DRY CREEK

2S MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1987 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 2,720

N89

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0W MARION, Red Willow, NE

Built 1958 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 580

FAS 1450

Good

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

EJCT US6/US83 1.9N 14.2E, Red Willow, NE

Built 1992 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 105

US6/US34

Good

Over: COON CREEK

1W INDIANOLA, Red Willow, NE

Built 2017 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 3,405

US6/US34

Good

Over: RED WILLOW CREEK

8E MCCOOK, Red Willow, NE

Built 1992 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 4,330

US6/US34

Good

Over: RICHMOND CREEK

1.7E BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 2020 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 3,035

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1.5W .3S OF MARION, Red Willow, NE

Built 2003 Load: 46.0 t ADT: 10

US6/US34

Good

Over: REPUBLICAN CREEK TRIB

3.8E BARTLEY, Red Willow, NE

Built 2020 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 3,035

N89

Good

Over: STREAM

3E LEBANON, Red Willow, NE

Built 1996 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 300

FAS 1525

Good

Over: DRIFTWOOD CREEK

EJCT US6/US83 4.2S 5.4W, Red Willow, NE

Built 2008 Load: 51.0 t ADT: 50

N89

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0W LEBANON, Red Willow, NE

Built 1959 Load: 53.0 t ADT: 330

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.