State profile · Near median Poor share

Nebraska bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Nebraska.

15,398
Public bridges
52.9%
Good condition
7.9%
Poor condition

Nebraska holds 15,398 public highway bridges (#16 of 52 by inventory) with a 7.9% Poor share (#15 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 7.9% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 38 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

15,398

Public highway bridges in Nebraska

Good Condition

52.9%

8,149 bridges rated 7-9

2.9pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

7.9%

1,217 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

0.4pp vs national avg 7.5%

Nebraska vs national bridge condition

Nebraska - Good condition share 52.9%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Nebraska - Poor-condition share 26.3%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Nebraska in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Nebraska has 15,398 bridges and a 7.9% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #38 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Nebraska has 15,398 bridges and a 7.9% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #38 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Nebraska vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

15,398 16th of 54 higher than 38 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Nebraska

The highlighted point is Nebraska: 15,398 bridges and 7.90% in Poor condition, rank #38 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Nebraska on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Oklahoma: 22,917 bridges · 7.70% Poor
  • Alaska: 1,685 bridges · 7.89% Poor
  • Nebraska: 15,398 bridges · 7.90% Poor
  • Massachusetts: 5,295 bridges · 8.88% Poor
  • Missouri: 24,618 bridges · 8.95% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Nebraska

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 15,398 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Nebraska’s inventory

State agency holds 23.1% of the 15,398 public highway bridges filed under Nebraska in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Nebraska’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 20.7% of the 15,398 bridges with a recorded original year in Nebraska. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Nebraska52.9%39.2%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Nebraska (FHWA NBI)

Counties (90)

Adams 211 Antelope 162 Banner 36 Blaine 19 Boone 237 Box Butte 30 Boyd 64 Brown 56 Buffalo 459 Burt 169 Butler 211 Cass 274 Cedar 313 Chase 33 Cherry 57 Cheyenne 159 Clay 134 Colfax 252 Cuming 402 Custer 303 Dakota 73 Dawes 91 Dawson 300 Deuel 73 Dixon 146 Dodge 334 Douglas 509 Dundy 47 Fillmore 218 Franklin 104 Frontier 96 Furnas 169 Gage 394 Garden 29 Garfield 24 Gosper 62 Greeley 84 Hall 271 Hamilton 175 Harlan 92 Hayes 41 Hitchcock 77 Holt 241 Hooker 2 Howard 161 Jefferson 241 Johnson 173 Kearney 71 Keith 91 Keya Paha 23 Kimball 88 Knox 329 Lancaster 661 Lincoln 197 Logan 4 Loup 20 Madison 302 Merrick 173 Morrill 91 Nance 148 Nemaha 179 Nuckolls 255 Otoe 359 Pawnee 191 Perkins 13 Phelps 80 Pierce 177 Platte 433 Polk 94 Red Willow 80 Richardson 258 Rock 14 Saline 312 Sarpy 192 Saunders 506 Scotts Bluff 250 Seward 244 Sheridan 63 Sherman 118 Sioux 36 Stanton 223 Thayer 220 Thomas 19 Thurston 152 Valley 115 Washington 149 Wayne 251 Webster 191 Wheeler 13 York 205

Nebraska vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Nebraska on the same metric.

OK

Oklahoma

7.70% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$22,917

AK

Alaska

7.89% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,685
Selected

NE

Nebraska

7.90% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$15,398

MA

Massachusetts

8.88% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,295

MO

Missouri

8.95% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$24,618

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Nebraska

Six lowest-condition bridges in Nebraska, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

SAND AVE.

Poor

Over: LITTLE BLUE RIVER

17690 S. SAND AVE, Adams, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 25

OSAGE AVENUE

Poor

Over: SCOTT CREEK

9550 S. OSAGE AVENUE, Adams, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 55

OREGON TRAIL ROAD

Poor

Over: THIRTY-TWO MILE CREEK

3430 W OREGON TRAIL RD., Adams, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 15

516TH AVE

Poor

Over: S BR VERDIGRE CREEK

6.5N 2W OF ROYAL, Antelope, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 255

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: CEDAR CREEK

3.5E OF ELGIN, Antelope, NE

Built 1965 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 5

NORDIC ROAD

Poor

Over: PONCA CREEK

4SE OF ANOKA, Boyd, NE

Built 1935 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 60

All Bridges in Nebraska

N11

Good

Over: STREAM

8S ATKINSON, Holt, NE

Built 1959 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 360

N11

Good

Over: STREAM

5S ATKINSON, Holt, NE

Built 1953 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 640

N11

Good

Over: STREAM

5S ATKINSON, Holt, NE

Built 1953 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 640

N11

Good

Over: STREAM

1S ATKINSON, Holt, NE

Built 1953 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 640

N12

Good

Over: BIG BEAVER CREEK

8NE VALENTINE, Cherry, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 475

N12

Good

Over: DIZZY CREEK

1W BUTTE, Boyd, NE

Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 415

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

1W BRISTOW, Boyd, NE

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 750

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

3W LYNCH, Boyd, NE

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 630

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

3E LYNCH, Boyd, NE

Built 1992 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 560

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

6W VERDEL, Knox, NE

Built 1967 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 370

IRR/N12

Good

Over: STREAM

1E NIOBRARA, Knox, NE

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,605

IRR/N12

Good

Over: STREAM

2E NIOBRARA, Knox, NE

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,275

N12

Good

Over: WEIGAND CREEK

7W CROFTON, Knox, NE

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,095

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

2W CROFTON, Knox, NE

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,255

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

ECL CROFTON, Knox, NE

Built 1951 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,545

N12

Good

Over: STREAM

7NW PONCA, Dixon, NE

Built 1946 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,450

N13

Good

Over: STREAM

3NW HADAR, Pierce, NE

Built 1975 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 4,825

N13

Good

Over: STREAM

4NW PIERCE, Pierce, NE

Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,605

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

.1S OF NELSON, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1974 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,260

N14

Good

Over: LITTLE SANDY CREEK

1N CLAY CENTER, Clay, NE

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,275

N14

Good

Over: W.FK.BIG BLUE RVR TRIB

0S CLAY/HAMILTON CO. LINE, Clay, NE

Built 1958 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,660

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

7N AURORA, Hamilton, NE

Built 1948 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,300

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

5S CENTRAL CITY, Hamilton, NE

Built 1949 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,005

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

0S FULLERTON, Nance, NE

Built 1955 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,185

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

3N FULLERTON, Nance, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,525

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

4N FULLERTON, Nance, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,525

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

12S ALBION, Boone, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,130

N14

Good

Over: BOGUS CREEK

6S ALBION, Boone, NE

Built 1957 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,605

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

4S ALBION, Boone, NE

Built 1957 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,605

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

2NW ALBION, Boone, NE

Built 1937 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,905

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

1S PETERSBURG, Boone, NE

Built 1943 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,280

N14

Good

Over: CEDAR CREEK

5N PETERSBURG, Antelope, NE

Built 1927 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,155

N14

Good

Over: STREAM

5S VERDIGRE SPUR, Knox, NE

Built 1980 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,030

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

10N SCHUYLER, Colfax, NE

Built 1957 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,460

N15

Good

Over: MAPLE CREEK EAST FK TRIB

12S PILGER, Stanton, NE

Built 1947 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,615

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

12S PILGER, Stanton, NE

Built 1947 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,520

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

9S PILGER, Stanton, NE

Built 1947 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,520

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

2N WAYNE, Dixon, NE

Built 1938 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,090

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

JCT N15/N116 2S, Dixon, NE

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,090

N15

Good

Over: STREAM

2SE LAUREL, Cedar, NE

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,955

IRR/N16

Good

Over: STAGE CREEK

1SE PENDER, Thurston, NE

Built 1948 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 995

IRR/N16

Good

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

8W PENDER, Wayne, NE

Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 915

N16

Good

Over: STREAM

6S WAKEFIELD, Wayne, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,070

N19

Good

Over: STREAM

2S LORENZO, Cheyenne, NE

Built 1940 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,945

N19

Good

Over: STREAM

1S LORENZO, Cheyenne, NE

Built 1940 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,945

N19

Good

Over: STREAM

2N LORENZO, Cheyenne, NE

Built 1939 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,975

US20

Good

Over: STREAM

ECL HARRISON, Sioux, NE

Built 1940 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 615

US20

Good

Over: STREAM

WCL CHADRON, Dawes, NE

Built 1950 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 9,060

US20

Good

Over: STREAM

1E CHADRON, Dawes, NE

Built 1952 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 2,425

US20

Good

Over: STREAM

7E CHADRON, Dawes, NE

Built 1949 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,880

Showing 7,801-7,850 of 15,398 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

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

What to do with this

Use Nebraska's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Nebraska and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Nebraska Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.