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)

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.

All Bridges in Nebraska

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: S FK BIG SANDY CREEK

1.4S BELVIDERE, Thayer, NE

Built 2001 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 30

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Good

Over: STREAM

10W US73 BURT CL, Washington, NE

Built 2023 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 25

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Good

Over: BROWN CREEK

5.5N 1 W ARLINGTON, Washington, NE

Built 2001 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 75

COUNTY RD 13

Good

Over: LITTLE BELL CREEK

1E 5.3N ARLINGTON, Washington, NE

Built 1999 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 45

ROAD 300

Good

Over: WALNUT CREEK

2.2S 2.2W INAVALE, Webster, NE

Built 2022 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 35

ROAD J

Good

Over: ELM CREEK

1.5N 3.7E RED CLOUD, Webster, NE

Built 2014 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: HICKS CREEK

2S 3.5E RED CLOUD, Webster, NE

Built 2013 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

3N 1.5W YORK, York, NE

Built 2013 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 45

N2

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

LINCOLN SOUTH BELTWAY, Lancaster, NE

Built 2022 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,610

N2

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

LINCOLN SOUTH BELTWAY, Lancaster, NE

Built 2022 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,610

84TH ST

Good

Over: N2

LINCOLN SOUTH BELTWAY, Lancaster, NE

Built 2022 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 220

N4

Good

Over: W BR THOMPSON CREEK

11W CAMPBELL, Franklin, NE

Built 2010 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 675

N5

Good

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

11N DESHLER, Thayer, NE

Built 2005 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 420

US6

Good

Over: BOEVAU CANYON

6E PALISADE, Hitchcock, NE

Built 1990 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,405

US6

Good

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER

JCT US6/L80H 2.6S, Seward, NE

Built 1995 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 4,210

N12

Good

Over: PONCA CREEK

IN LYNCH, Boyd, NE

Built 1955 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 605

IRR/N16

Good

Over: STREAM

3SE PENDER, Cuming, NE

Built 2002 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 880

US30

Good

Over: UPRR

NORTH PLATTE, Lincoln, NE

Built 2000 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,865

HWY 30

Good

Over: CENTRAL CUTOFF DITCH

SEC 3-T17N R6E, Dodge, NE

Built 2021 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,000

US30

Good

Over: CENTRAL CUTOFF DITCH

SEC 3-T17N-R6E, Dodge, NE

Built 2019 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 6,995

N32

Good

Over: ELKHORN RIVER

0W WEST POINT, Cuming, NE

Built 1997 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,760

N50

Good

Over: TODD CREEK

6S TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 2002 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,790

N57

Good

Over: KERLOO CREEK

4S HARTINGTON, Cedar, NE

Built 1987 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,835

N57

Good

Over: BOW CREEK TRIB & OVE

1S HARTINGTON, Cedar, NE

Built 1987 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,835

N70

Good

Over: CANAL NO 3

1W ARCADIA, Valley, NE

Built 1958 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 745

US73

Good

Over: MUDDY CREEK NORTH OVERFL

2N FALLS CITY, Richardson, NE

Built 2009 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,575

US77

Good

Over: BILLS CREEK

SCL BLUE SPRINGS, Gage, NE

Built 2002 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 3,110

I80

Good

Over: L17J EAST SIDNEY CNLK

EAST SIDNEY INTERCHG, Cheyenne, NE

Built 1974 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 7,750

N 84TH ST

Good

Over: I80

2E US77 INTRCHG, Lancaster, NE

Built 2009 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 115

I80

Good

Over: SALT CREEK

2W WAVERLY INTRCHG, Lancaster, NE

Built 2010 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 42,210

I80

Good

Over: BNSF RR/US6 074-936-D

WAVERLY INTERCHG, Lancaster, NE

Built 2007 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 42,210

I80

Good

Over: BNSF RR 073-008-F

.9N MAHONEY PARK INTERCHG, Cass, NE

Built 2006 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 51,220

I80

Good

Over: BNSF RR 073-009-M

.9N MAHONEY PARK INTERCHG, Cass, NE

Built 2007 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 51,220

PFLUG RD/COLL 7927

Good

Over: I80

2S GRETNA INTRCHG, Sarpy, NE

Built 2007 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 120

N89

Good

Over: MILROSE CREEK

1W ORLEANS, Harlan, NE

Built 2007 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 795

N91

Good

Over: STREAM

5E LINDSAY, Platte, NE

Built 1989 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,855

N92

Good

Over: GERING VALLEY DRAIN

2SE GERING, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1994 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,765

N92

Good

Over: LAKE CREEK

1SE ST. PAUL, Howard, NE

Built 1994 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,255

N103

Good

Over: SQUAW CREEK

6N WILBER, Saline, NE

Built 1961 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 3,240

N121

Good

Over: N FK ELKHORN RIVER

3S OSMOND, Pierce, NE

Built 2014 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,080

US136

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

5E ALMA, Harlan, NE

Built 2004 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,150

US275

Good

Over: WORTMANS CREEK

2S WEST POINT, Cuming, NE

Built 2023 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 7,920

US 281

Good

Over: NIOBRARA RIVER

_, Holt, NE

Built 2020 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,295

US385

Good

Over: WHITE RIVER

7N CHADRON, Dawes, NE

Built 1937 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 2,230

L56D BRADY CNLK

Good

Over: PLATTE RIVER N CH OVERF

1SW BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 2005 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,215

S13K WEEPING WATER

Good

Over: WEEPING WATER CREEK TRIB

1W WEEPING WATER, Cass, NE

Built 2023 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 1,215

PINE LAKE RD

Good

Over: BEAL SLOUGH (P 162)

PINE LAKE RD @ S 69TH ST, Lancaster, NE

Built 1989 Load: 42.0 t ADT: 17,060

IRR BIA RTE 2

Good

Over: NORTH BLACKBIRD CREEK

1.7 KM WEST OF MACY, Thurston, NE

Built 1983 Load: 42.6 t ADT: 364

FAS 2605

Good

Over: STREAM

JCT US275/N14 10.7W 4.7N, Antelope, NE

Built 2012 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 335

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Good

Over: ONEILL VALLEY

4.4N 1.5E ALBION, Boone, NE

Built 1990 Load: 43.0 t ADT: 35

Showing 13,001-13,050 of 15,398 bridges

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.

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.