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: PLUM CREEK

SE EDGE OF SEWARD, Seward, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 80

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: MERIDIAN CREEK

6.4W 11S OF STANTON, Stanton, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 35

ROAD 6900

Poor

Over: DRY SANDY CREEK

2.5W 5.7N ALEXANDRIA, Thayer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 25

ROAD T

Poor

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

1.5W ALEXANDRIA, Thayer, NE

Built 1915 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 40

ROAD 6600

Poor

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

2.5E BELVIDERE, Thayer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 15

IRR/COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

5W OF THURSTON, Thurston, NE

Built 1950 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 30

IRR/COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG SLOUGH CREEK

.5SW OF ROSALIE, Thurston, NE

Built 1965 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 90

860TH ROAD

Poor

Over: DOG CREEK

1N 3.1E OF CARROLL, Wayne, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

4N COWLES, Webster, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BEAVER CREEK

3.5S .4E WACO, York, NE

Built 1914 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 30

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: STREAM

1.5E .2N MASON CITY N.619, Custer, NE

Built 1935 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 20

FAS 1755

Poor

Over: GOOSE CREEK

JCT US83/S16B 33.5S 17.4, Cherry, NE

Built 1979 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 55

DAWSON STREET

Poor

Over: MUD CREEK

ANSLEY OLD US183 @ N2, Custer, NE

Built 1912 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 50

CITY STREET

Poor

Over: ELKHORN RIVER

.2S OF NELIGH, Antelope, NE

Built 1912 Load: 9.0 t ADT: 250

COUNTY ROAD

Poor

Over: LITTLE BLUE RIVER

15140 S. PROSSER AVE., Adams, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

2W OF MASON CITY #657A, Custer, NE

Built 1930 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 70

879 RD

Poor

Over: AOWA CREEK

JCT N9/N12 1.5W 1.5N, Dixon, NE

Built 1971 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 200

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: STREAM

NICK.RD BET.N & O N.BR., Dodge, NE

Built 1949 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 115

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

1E 1.6N GRAFTON, Fillmore, NE

Built 1969 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: PLUM CREEK

3W OF EUSTIS, Frontier, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: CAMBRIDGE-OXFORD-ORLEANS

2W 1.2N OF EDISON, Furnas, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 15

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: STREAM

.2NW OF BEATRICE, Gage, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY ROAD 798

Poor

Over: FISH CREEK

2E N11 HOWARD CL, Greeley, NE

Built 1966 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 45

X ROAD

Poor

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

1.6N 1E HAMPTON, Hamilton, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 50

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: DEEP CREEK

.5N OF MASCOT, Harlan, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 30

569 AVE

Poor

Over: ROSE CREEK

.2S 3.5W OF ENDICOTT, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: INDIAN CREEK

4.2S OF HARBINE, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 40

726 RD

Poor

Over: BREWERS BRANCH

.5S 1.5E OF VESTA, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 20

COLL 7443

Poor

Over: WENTWORTH CREEK

6S 6.5E OF SPRINGVIEW, Keya Paha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 15

FAS 1475

Poor

Over: NORTH PLATTE RIVER

JCT US30/N25 .6E 3.7N, Lincoln, NE

Built 1915 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 180

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

2.5E 10.5N CENTRAL CITY, Merrick, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 15

COLL 7911

Poor

Over: STREAM

.5S OF BROWNVILLE, Nemaha, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 155

ROAD X

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK

.7N .8E LAWRENCE, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1991 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 5

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

2.2N .4E PALMYRA, Otoe, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: BIG SLOUGH

3W US73 CASS CL, Otoe, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: S FK LITTLE NEMAHA RIVER

.5W DOUGLAS, Otoe, NE

Built 1984 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: STREAM

9S 2.5W OF BURCHARD, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: TRIBUTARY TO TAYLOR BRAN

1.7N .9E OF PAWNEE CITY, Pawnee, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 15

548 AVE

Poor

Over: N FK ELKHORN RIVER

2.5N 2W OF PIERCE, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7714

Poor

Over: HADAR CREEK

.2W OF HADAR, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 75

FAS 2855

Poor

Over: COLUMBUS GENOA CANAL

JCT US81/N22 3W 1.7N, Platte, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 95

707 RD-630 / 631 A

Poor

Over: SOUTH FORK BIG NEMAHA TR

6S 3W HUMB (707-630/631), Richardson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 40

714 RD-650 / 651 A

Poor

Over: GOOLSBY CREEK

3S2W BARADA (714-650/651), Richardson, NE

Built 1915 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Poor

Over: SPRING CREEK

2.5N 1.1W OF WESTERN, Saline, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

ROAD H

Poor

Over: WAHOO CREEK TRIB

.5W OF ITHICA, Saunders, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 75

COUNTY ROAD 2

Poor

Over: DRY CREEK DRAIN

2.2S OF LYMAN, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY ROAD G

Poor

Over: ENTERPRISE CANAL

2N 1.7W OF SCOTTSBLUFF, Scotts Bluff, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 100

IRR/TOWNSHIP ROAD

Poor

Over: STREAM

3N OF ROSALIE, Thurston, NE

Built 1950 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 10

851ST ROAD

Poor

Over: STREAM

3.2N 1.8W OF HOSKINS, Wayne, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 20

COLL 7538

Poor

Over: STREAM

4N 2.9E INAVALE, Webster, NE

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 35

Showing 14,851-14,900 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.