County profile · official public datasets

Seward County, NE

244 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 66.4% rated Good, 25.8% Fair, 7.8% Poor.

244
Public bridges
66.4%
Good condition
7.8%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

51st
of 88 on Poor share
7.8%
Poor-condition share
244
public highway bridges
1980
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.

Seward County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Seward County ranks #51 of 88 Nebraska counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.8%). Seward County, Nebraska contains 244 public highway bridges. Roughly 66.4% are rated “Good,” 25.8% “Fair,” and 7.8% “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

244

Public highway bridges in Seward County

Good condition

66.4%

162 of 244 rated 7-9

Fair condition

25.8%

63 of 244 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.8%

19 of 244 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#51 of 88

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

Condition distribution

Share of 244 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
66.4% (162)
Fair
25.8% (63)
Poor
7.8% (19)

Seward County's Poor-condition bridges carry 4,640 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.8% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 244 crossings a day against 1,314 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 244 of 244 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

33.6% of Seward County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

82 of the 244 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 66.4% 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 58% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

N103 over CHEESE CREEK, built 1981, carries 2,690 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 19-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 4,640 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Seward County's bridges were built

244 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1980s, when 69 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 28.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 35 to 44 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1980) matches the Nebraska average (1977).

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

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

The 5 Nebraska counties nearest Seward County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.8% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1980 against a peer-group mean of 1976 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Seward County and the 5 Nebraska counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Wayne County 251 9.6%
Scotts Bluff County 250 5.2%
Seward County (this page) 244 7.8%
Holt County 241 1.7%
Jefferson County 241 22.4%
Boone County 237 3.8%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside NE (244 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside NE (1980 here).

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

All 244 Good 162 Fair 63 Poor 19

All bridges (244)

FAS 3075

Good

Over: STREAM

JCT US34/L-80G 1S 8.5N, Seward, NE

Built 1969 Load: 37.0 t ADT: 110

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

1SE OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 2012 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 40

FAS 3075

Good

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

JCT US34/L-80G 4.4N, Seward, NE

Built 1983 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 160

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

9E 1S OF CORDOVA, Seward, NE

Built 1988 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 35

COLL 7761

Good

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

2.2S OF STAPLEHURST, Seward, NE

Built 2001 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: WALNUT CREEK

1S 2E OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 2009 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 10

FAS 2710

Good

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

JCT N15/S-80C 12.2W, Seward, NE

Built 1987 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 50

FAS 2710

Good

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

JCT N15/S-80C 9.2W, Seward, NE

Built 1988 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 175

FAS 3085

Good

Over: MIDDLE OAK CREEK

JCT N15/S-80B 1S 6.8E, Seward, NE

Built 1993 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 55

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: MIDDLE OAK CREEK

5.5E .7S OF BEE, Seward, NE

Built 2002 Load: 39.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: SLEEPY HOLLOW CREEK

2N 2.5W BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 2001 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1N 3W OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 1992 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 35

FAS 3075

Good

Over: BRUSH CREEK

JCT US34/L-80G 3.4N, Seward, NE

Built 1971 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 160

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BNSF RR 073-224-Y

1.5SW OF PLEASANT DALE, Seward, NE

Built 2004 Load: 41.0 t ADT: 60

US6

Good

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

JCT US6/L80H 2.6S, Seward, NE

Built 1995 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 4,210

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: MIDDLE CREEK

4.5S 3E OF GARLAND, Seward, NE

Built 1999 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 10

FAS 2710

Good

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

JCT N15/S-80C 6.2W, Seward, NE

Built 1997 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 175

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: BIG WEEDY CREEK

3S 1W OF BEE, Seward, NE

Built 2015 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 55

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: MIDDLE OAK CREEK

4N OF GARLAND, Seward, NE

Built 1985 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 25

I80

Good

Over: SLEEPY HOLLOW CREEK

1E UTICA INTRCHG, Seward, NE

Built 1965 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 28,120

I80

Good

Over: SLEEPY HOLLOW CREEK

1E UTICA INTRCHG, Seward, NE

Built 1965 Load: 44.0 t ADT: 28,120

US6

Good

Over: WOLF CREEK

1N MILFORD, Seward, NE

Built 1995 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 4,210

N103

Good

Over: BNSF RR 073-226-M

1S PLEASANT DALE, Seward, NE

Built 1966 Load: 50.0 t ADT: 2,690

US34

Good

Over: PLUM CREEK

0E SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 2003 Load: 54.0 t ADT: 5,940

US34

Good

Over: MIDDLE CREEK

7E SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 2003 Load: 54.0 t ADT: 5,095

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

.2S OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

2E 1S OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: CROOKED CREEK

4E OF GOEHNER, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 2.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

1.5E 5N OF UTICA, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 3.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

2N OF STAPLEHURST, Seward, NE

Built 1920 Load: 4.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1S I80 YORK CL, Seward, NE

Built 1949 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

1.5SE OF STAPLEHURST, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

3.2S 5W OF MILFORD, Seward, NE

Built 1965 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

3.7S 4W OF MILFORD, Seward, NE

Built 1908 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

.5W OF SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 5.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

4S 2.5E OF MILFORD, Seward, NE

Built 1920 Load: 6.0 t ADT: 50

BLUFF ROAD

Poor

Over: PLUM CREEK

E EDGE OF SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 1967 Load: 7.0 t ADT: 100

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

1.5W OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: PLUM CREEK

SE EDGE OF SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 80

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

5W N15 BUTLER CL, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 15.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

2S 1.5E OF SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 1973 Load: 21.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: PLUM CREEK

4.7E OF STAPLEHURST, Seward, NE

Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 125

L80F UTICA CNLK

Poor

Over: I80

UTICA INTRCHG, Seward, NE

Built 1966 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 1,115

N103

Poor

Over: CHEESE CREEK

JCT US6/N103 7.3S, Seward, NE

Built 1981 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,690

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.