County profile · official public datasets

Scotts Bluff County, NE

250 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 64% rated Good, 30.8% Fair, 5.2% Poor.

250
Public bridges
64%
Good condition
5.2%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Scotts Bluff 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 47%
lowest Poor share in state
5.2%
Poor-condition share
250
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.

Scotts Bluff County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Scotts Bluff County ranks #41 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 5.2%). Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska contains 250 public highway bridges. Roughly 64% are rated “Good,” 30.8% “Fair,” and 5.2% “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

250

Public highway bridges in Scotts Bluff County

Good condition

64%

160 of 250 rated 7-9

Fair condition

30.8%

77 of 250 rated 5-6

Poor condition

5.2%

13 of 250 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#41 of 88

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

Condition distribution

Share of 250 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
64% (160)
Fair
30.8% (77)
Poor
5.2% (13)

Scotts Bluff County's Poor-condition bridges carry 625 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 5.2% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 48 crossings a day against 1,245 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 250 of 250 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

46.4% of Scotts Bluff County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

116 of the 250 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 64% 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 24% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

COOK OIL over TRI-STATE CANAL, built 1975, carries 150 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 13-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 625 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Scotts Bluff County's bridges were built

250 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 53 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.2% 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.

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

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

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Scotts Bluff County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 5.2% Poor share is the 2nd-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1972 against a peer-group mean of 1979 is 7 years older.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Scotts Bluff County and the 5 Nebraska counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Richardson County 258 13.6%
Nuckolls County 255 9%
Colfax County 252 2%
Wayne County 251 9.6%
Scotts Bluff County (this page) 250 5.2%
Seward County 244 7.8%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (250 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1972 here).

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

All 250 Good 160 Fair 77 Poor 13

Good-condition bridges (160)

US26

Good

Over: WINTERS CREEK

3SE SCOTTS BLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2003 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 10,005

US26

Good

Over: DRAIN CANAL

2E MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2001 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 4,870

US26

Good

Over: STREAM

6E MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2001 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 4,870

N29

Good

Over: TRI-STATE CANAL

2N MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1996 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 610

N71

Good

Over: GERING DRAIN TRIB.

3S GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1982 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,855

N71

Good

Over: GERING DRAIN TRIB.

1.8 S GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,855

N71

Good

Over: STREAM

1.5S GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,855

N71

Good

Over: STREAM

.5S GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,855

SB-N71

Good

Over: SOUTH BELTLINE

1E SCOTTSBLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,805

NB-N71

Good

Over: SOUTH BELTLINE

1E SCOTTSBLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,805

N71

Good

Over: STREAM

1E SCOTTSBLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 4,940

N71

Good

Over: PATHFINDER CANAL

8N SCOTTSBLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1982 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 955

N92

Good

Over: DRY CREEK DRAIN

.3E 2S LYMAN, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1988 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 530

N92

Good

Over: KIOWA CREEK

3W STEGALL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 530

N92

Good

Over: OWL CREEK

6.5S .5W OF MORRILL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2005 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 835

ROAD M

Good

Over: KIOWA CREEK

3.2E 5S OF LYMAN, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2003 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY ROAD 28

Good

Over: TRI-STATE CANAL

4.2N 2W OF MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1980 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY ROAD 19

Good

Over: TRI-STATE CANAL

4.5E OF MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 25

SB-N71

Good

Over: GERING VALLEY DRAIN

3S GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1998 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,840

SB-N71

Good

Over: FAS 1055 (21ST AVE)

1S 1E GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,855

NB-N71

Good

Over: FAS 1055 (21ST AVE.)

1S 1E GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,855

ROAD 10

Good

Over: FORT LARAMIE CANAL

5.5S 4W OF MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1971 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY ROAD 35

Good

Over: TRI-STATE CANAL

5E 2N MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2010 Load: 35.0 t ADT: 35

FAS 1035 MORRILL

Good

Over: NORTH PLATTE RIVER

1.9S MORRILL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1992 Load: 36.0 t ADT: 1,355

COUNTY ROAD C

Good

Over: MITCHELL-GERING CANAL

1.5S OF HENRY, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2009 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY ROAD G

Good

Over: MITCHELL-GERING CANAL

1.7S 2W OF MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1986 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 90

ROAD R

Good

Over: NINE MILE CREEK

3E 1S OF MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1983 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY ROAD C

Good

Over: STREAM

1SE OF LAKE ALICE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1982 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 60

N92

Good

Over: NORTH PLATTE RIVER

JCT L79G/N92 .7E, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1988 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 2,595

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: WRPI 909-799-K

2.5S 2.4W MORRILL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1996 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 20

FAS 1065 CR 33

Good

Over: STREAM

JCT US26/L-79E 4E .5N, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1967 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 180

N92

Good

Over: GERING VALLEY DRAIN

2SE GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1994 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,765

COUNTY ROAD A

Good

Over: SPOTTEDTAIL CREEK

1E N29 SIOUX CL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1988 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY ROAD 20

Good

Over: STREAM

2.5S 1W OF GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1983 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY ROAD F

Good

Over: TRI-STATE CANAL

3N OF SCOTTSBLUFF ON 71, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1983 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 50

N92

Good

Over: US26/RR

JCT US26&N92 SCOTTSBLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2009 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 2,685

US26

Good

Over: NINEMILE CREEK

2E MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2001 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 4,870

COUNTY ROAD 3

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

1NE OF LYMAN, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2006 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 35

ROAD 15

Good

Over: SPOTTED TAIL CREEK

.2E 3.5N OF MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1984 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY ROAD N

Good

Over: NINEMILE CREEK

2E 1N OF MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1983 Load: 48.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY ROAD J

Good

Over: NINEMILE CREEK

S EDGE NINEMILE AREA, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2015 Load: 49.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY ROAD 6

Good

Over: MITCHELL-GERING CANAL

3.2E .7N OF LYMAN, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2010 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 25

FAS 1055 21ST AVE

Good

Over: NORTH PLATTE RIVER

JCT N71/N92 1E 2.2N, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1979 Load: 53.0 t ADT: 4,870

COUNTY ROAD T

Good

Over: STREAM

1N OF MCGREW, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1987 Load: 54.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD C

Good

Over: TRI-STATE CANAL

1.5N 1W OF MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2004 Load: 54.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD D

Good

Over: ENTERPRISE CANAL

1E OF MORRILL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1935 Load: 55.0 t ADT: 50

ROAD 19

Good

Over: SUNFLOWER DRAIN

4.2E 1.5S OF MITCHELL, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1987 Load: 55.0 t ADT: 60

COLL 7123 CR 3

Good

Over: FORT LARAMIE CANAL

7.8S OF LYMAN, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1991 Load: 58.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY ROAD 27

Good

Over: IRRIGATION CANAL

2NW OF LAKE MINATARE, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 2011 Load: 59.0 t ADT: 50

FAS 1090 CR B

Good

Over: DRY SPOTTEDTAIL CREEK

WJCT US26/N29 3N .9W, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1989 Load: 61.0 t ADT: 190

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.