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

Poor

Over: NORTH LOGAN CREEK

1N 2.5E OF LAUREL, Cedar, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 20

576 AVE

Poor

Over: AMES CREEK

4N N12 DIXON CL, Cedar, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: NIOBRARA RIVER

1.2E 8S OF CODY, Cherry, NE

Built 1916 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 5

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SNAKE RIVER

22S .5W OF CODY, Cherry, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 20

14 ROAD

Poor

Over: PLUM CREEK

2E 1.2N OF BEEMER, Cuming, NE

Built 1912 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 50

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: MILBURN-SARGENT CANAL

2.5N 12W OF SARGENT, Custer, NE

Built 1950 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY ROAD 442

Poor

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

3.5N 2W OF OVERTON, Dawson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 30

CO RD 758/COL 7387

Poor

Over: ELM CREEK

3.5E 5N OF OVERTON, Dawson, NE

Built 1939 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 55

RAINWOOD ROAD

Poor

Over: RAWHIDE CREEK

2N 2.5E OF VALLEY, Douglas, NE

Built 1958 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 91

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

.4N 5.4W GRAFTON, Fillmore, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 15

COLL 7262

Poor

Over: STREAM

7S OF CULBERTSON, Hitchcock, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: WILEY CREEK

1.7S 1.7E OF REYNOLDS, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

.4E 1S OF POWELL, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

4N 1.7W OF JANSEN, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: DEER CREEK

.5W 3.5N OF VESTA, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BADGER BRANCH

.5S 2.2W OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 70

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: TRI-COUNTY CANAL MP 26.0

.5E 3.5S OF BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 30

837TH RD

Poor

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

4.5S 2W OF MEADOW GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 40

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: BEAVER CREEK

2.5N 3.2W OF GENOA, Nance, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

.7E 3.8S OF HOWE, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COLL 7896

Poor

Over: TRIBUTARY TO MUDDY CREEK

7S 2.2E OF AUBURN, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY ROAD

Poor

Over: DEROIN CREEK

4S 2.2E OF NEMAHA, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

3.5W OF BROCK, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 5

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: JONES CREEK

3.5W 1.7N OF BROCK, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

3.5W 3S OF NEMAHA, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: LITTLE MUDDY CREEK

3W US73 RICHARDSON CL, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

4.2N 3.2E PALMYRA, Otoe, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: MISSION CREEK

2W 7.7S OF BURCHARD, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COLL 7804

Poor

Over: TURKEY CREEK

1N 3E OF LEWISTON, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 65

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

2.7W 3S OF PAWNEE CITY, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 5

610 AVENUE

Poor

Over: TURKEY CREEK

1N 1E OF LEWISTON, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BALLS BRANCH

.5N 5W OF PAWNEE CITY, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 25

865 ROAD

Poor

Over: W BR N FK ELKHORN RIVER

1.2W OF OSMOND, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 100

703 TR-641 / 642 A

Poor

Over: ROCK CREEK

3.5S3W SALEM(703-641/642), Richardson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 50

710 RD-650 / 651 A

Poor

Over: GOOLSBY CREEK

2S4E VERDON (710-650/651), Richardson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 40

649 AV-716 / 717 R

Poor

Over: STREAM

4W1S BARADA(649-716/717), Richardson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

3.4S 4W OF PLEASANTHILL, Saline, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1.7S 4W OF PLEASANTHILL, Saline, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD 23

Poor

Over: SAND CREEK

3.5S 2E OF MORSE BLUFF, Saunders, NE

Built 1950 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

1.5W OF BEAVER CROSSING, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

863RD ROAD

Poor

Over: STREAM

4N .4E OF CARROLL, Wayne, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 40

568TH AVENUE

Poor

Over: STREAM

.6E 3.9N OF CARROLL, Wayne, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 15

ROAD E

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

2S 1W INAVALE, Webster, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: W FK BIG BLUE RIVER

2W .3S LUSHTON, York, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 15

D STREET

Poor

Over: BELMAR CREEK

NELIGH D @ 1ST, Antelope, NE

Built 1971 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 100

JAMES AVENUE

Poor

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

SUTTON JAMES @ MAPLE, Clay, NE

Built 1935 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 300

N12

Poor

Over: STREAM

2E VERDEL, Knox, NE

Built 1961 Load: 8.0 t ADT: 545

PRIVATE DRIVEWAY

Poor

Over: PAWNEE CREEK

1810 E SUNDOWN RD., Adams, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 2

512TH AVE

Poor

Over: CLEARWATER CREEK

3S 4W OF CLEARWATER, Antelope, NE

Built 1955 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 10

RAILROD ST

Poor

Over: MIDDLE LOUP RIVER

.2 E OF HALSEY, Blaine, NE

Built 1972 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 10

Showing 14,751-14,800 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.