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

140TH RD

Fair

Over: N CH PLATTE RIVER

3.2S OF WOOD RIVER, Hall, NE

Built 1931 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 55

BURWICK RD

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

1E 6N OF WOOD RIVER, Hall, NE

Built 1929 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 35

BISMARK RD/FAS2130

Fair

Over: N CH PLATTE RIVER

NJCT US34/US281 3.7E 3N, Hall, NE

Built 1965 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 3,335

PRAIRIE ROAD

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

6N OF NE GRAND ISLAND, Hall, NE

Built 1969 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 30

MCGUIRE ROAD

Fair

Over: FLASH CREEK

4.8N 3W OF WOOD RIVER, Hall, NE

Built 1929 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 35

LOWRY CREEK

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

2N 2.5E OF DONIPHAN, Hall, NE

Built 1928 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7602

Fair

Over: STREAM

3.5E OF STOCKHAM, Hamilton, NE

Built 1949 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 85

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

4E PHILLIPS, Hamilton, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50

FAS 1457

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION LATERAL

1.4W 2N OF CULBERTSON, Hitchcock, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 95

14TH AVE

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

3.2W 1N OF FARWELL, Howard, NE

Built 1974 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 30

KIMBALL RD

Fair

Over: STREAM

2E .2N OF DANNEBROG, Howard, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25

FAS 2305

Fair

Over: MUNSON CREEK

.5 NORTH 3 WEST OF ELBA, Howard, NE

Built 1987 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 95

PAGE RD

Fair

Over: MUNSON CREEK

1W 1.3N ELBA, Howard, NE

Built 1973 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 55

21ST AVENUE

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

2.4E 2.5N CUSHING, Howard, NE

Built 1973 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: ROSE CREEK

1E OF THOMPSON, Jefferson, NE

Built 1960 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 20

711 RD

Fair

Over: BUCKLEY CREEK

2.2W 2S OF GLADSTONE, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: CUB CREEK

.5E 3.5S OF PLYMOUTH, Jefferson, NE

Built 1950 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 45

559 AVE

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK TRIB

3.2W .5N OF POWELL, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7814

Fair

Over: PRATTS BRANCH

.2NE OF STERLING, Johnson, NE

Built 1952 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 115

FAS 3665

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT N50/S-49A 6W .4S, Johnson, NE

Built 1992 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 115

730 ROAD

Fair

Over: TOWN BRANCH

2.5N OF TECUMSEH, Johnson, NE

Built 1950 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7888

Fair

Over: SAMPSON BRANCH

2S 5E CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1993 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 40

724 RD

Fair

Over: BADGER BRANCH

6.5E 1S OF CRAB ORCHARD, Johnson, NE

Built 1986 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 20

FAS 3635

Fair

Over: MANNS BRANCH

JCT N41/N50 3E 2.9N, Johnson, NE

Built 1999 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

IN SAINT MARY, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 100

FAS 3674

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

JCT N41/N50 1S 3.5E, Johnson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 80

21 1700 CNTY RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

7.8N 1.3W AXTELL, Kearney, NE

Built 1988 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 20

FAS 1540 R 500

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT N44/L-50A 4S .1W, Kearney, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 195

FAS 1985 35 1300

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

JCT N10/N74 3E 2.2N, Kearney, NE

Built 1977 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 105

R-50B 30 2100

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT N44/L-50A 4E .6N, Kearney, NE

Built 1972 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 200

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: WESTERN CANAL

4S US30 DEUEL CL, Keith, NE

Built 1983 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 215

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

.7S 7W OF PAXTON, Keith, NE

Built 1961 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 10

COLL 7115

Fair

Over: STREAM

3E 5.5N OF KIMBALL, Kimball, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 75

COLL 7115

Fair

Over: STREAM

3E 7.5N OF KIMBALL, Kimball, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 75

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

1W 1S OF VERDEL, Knox, NE

Built 1935 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: TRIB. TO BAZILE CREEK

.3W OF BAZILE MILLS, Knox, NE

Built 1980 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: M BR VERDIGRIS CREEK

8W 3.2S OF VERDIGRE, Knox, NE

Built 1992 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 50

IRR/COLL 7662

Fair

Over: STREAM

6N 3.8W OF BLOOMFIELD, Knox, NE

Built 1975 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 60

SW 140TH ST

Fair

Over: CHEESE CREEK (N 75)

4N N33 SEWARD CL, Lancaster, NE

Built 1977 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 34

SW 140TH ST

Fair

Over: S BR MIDDLE CREEK (M 23)

1S US6 SEWARD CL, Lancaster, NE

Built 1917 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 108

SW 114TH /FAS 3305

Fair

Over: STREAM (V 27)

JCT US77/N33 9W 3.5S, Lancaster, NE

Built 1969 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 479

SW 100TH /FAS 3305

Fair

Over: OLIVE BRANCH (V 58)

JCT US77/N33 8W 4.4S, Lancaster, NE

Built 1963 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 158

SW 86TH ST

Fair

Over: STREAM (U 32)

3.5N OF OLIVE CR REC AREA, Lancaster, NE

Built 1966 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 68

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM (D 123)

1.75W .5N OF RAYMOND, Lancaster, NE

Built 1972 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 31

W RYMND RD/FAS3370

Fair

Over: OAK CREEK (D 5)

JCT N79/S-55J 1.9W, Lancaster, NE

Built 1968 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 1,115

WAVERLY RD/COL7826

Fair

Over: WEST OAK CREEK (E 156)

2S OF BRANCHED OAK LAKE, Lancaster, NE

Built 1954 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 138

WAVERLY RD/COL7826

Fair

Over: STREAM (E 163)

1.5N 2.5E OF MALCOLM, Lancaster, NE

Built 1974 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 187

SW 14TH ST

Fair

Over: STREAM (T 171)

S EDGE OF SPRAGUE, Lancaster, NE

Built 1962 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 230

S 12TH ST

Fair

Over: M BR BIG NEMAHA R(W 104)

1S OF PRINCETON, Lancaster, NE

Built 1918 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 57

S 25TH ST

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK (S 47)

1SW OF ROCA, Lancaster, NE

Built 1976 Load: 22.0 t ADT: 119

Showing 2,351-2,400 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.