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

N 1ST ST

Fair

Over: LITTLE SALT CR (F 26)

3E OF RAYMOND, Lancaster, NE

Built 1976 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 88

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: NPPD PENSTOCK PIPE

4S NORTH PLATTE, Lincoln, NE

Built 1952 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7297

Fair

Over: TRI-COUNTY CANAL MP 12.5

8W .5S OF BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 75

LINE RD

Fair

Over: THIRTYMILE CANAL

2.5E 4S OF BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 1992 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20

FAS 1480

Fair

Over: THIRTY MILE CANAL

5S 3.7E OF BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 125

FAS 1480

Fair

Over: THIRTY MILE CANAL

5.2E 7S OF BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 125

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: TRI-COUNTY CANAL MP 17.6

3S 4.9W OF BRADY, Lincoln, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

FAS 1480

Fair

Over: TRI-COUNTY CANAL

JCT I80/S-56A .7N 5.3E, Lincoln, NE

Built 2015 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 255

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: SHELL CREEK

2N 2W OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1983 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50

838TH RD

Fair

Over: ELKHORN RIVER TRIB

1.5S 3.5E OF BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 1987 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: UNION CREEK

3N 7E OF NEWMAN GROVE, Madison, NE

Built 1982 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

1S 1W OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 1992 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 75

840TH RD

Fair

Over: ELKHORN RIVER TRIB

JCT US275/N121 1.5S 3.4E, Madison, NE

Built 1990 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 450

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: BATTLE CREEK

5.5S 1W OF BATTLE CREEK, Madison, NE

Built 1987 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT US281/N32 3.5N 2.5W, Madison, NE

Built 1978 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: UNION CREEK

4S 2W OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 1977 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50

NUCOR RD

Fair

Over: SPRING BRANCH

JCT US81/US275 3N 2.3E, Madison, NE

Built 1975 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 860

FAS 2485

Fair

Over: STREAM

1S US30 HALL CL, Merrick, NE

Built 1973 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 625

FAS 2485

Fair

Over: DRY RUN

6.2S WORMS, Merrick, NE

Built 1977 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 480

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

14E N14 NANCE CL, Merrick, NE

Built 1972 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 35

FAS 2470

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

JCT N92/S-61A 4.5N 2.4E, Merrick, NE

Built 1980 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 130

FAS 2495

Fair

Over: WARM SLOUGH

JCT US30/N14 8W 4.3S, Merrick, NE

Built 1972 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 245

FAS 2515

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

EJCT N14/N92 5N 1.5E, Merrick, NE

Built 1968 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 205

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

8E .2S OF PALMER, Merrick, NE

Built 1975 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 60

FAS 2525

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT N92/S-61A 4.5N, Merrick, NE

Built 1980 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 430

FAS 2460

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT US30/N92 2N .7E, Merrick, NE

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 315

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: S BR TIMBER CREEK

1S 8.5W OF BELGRADE, Nance, NE

Built 1965 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 35

COLL 7633

Fair

Over: HORSE CREEK

2S 8.5W OF FULLERTON, Nance, NE

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30

FAS 2220

Fair

Over: STREAM

SJCT N14/N22 5.3S 15.4W, Nance, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 115

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

8S 2W OF GENOA, Nance, NE

Built 1979 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 35

COUNTY HIHGWAY

Fair

Over: SKEDEE CREEK

NJCT N22/N39 1.8W .4N, Nance, NE

Built 1981 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 10

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: TIMBER CREEK

4W 2S BELGRADE, Nance, NE

Built 1977 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 15

RD 2500

Fair

Over: COURTLAND CANAL

3S US136 WEBSTER CL, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

3S 6.8W NELSON, Nuckolls, NE

Built 2000 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: COTTONWOOD CREEK

5S 7W NELSON, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1987 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: THAWES CREEK

2.2N RUSKIN, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: S FK BIG SANDY CREEK

.5W 5.2N OAK, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1993 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

2.7N 4.5E LAWRENCE, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1987 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

6.9E 3N LAWRENCE, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1991 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

.5W .5N NELSON, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1987 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 40

COLL 7816

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

2.3S PALMYRA, Otoe, NE

Built 1974 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: KIRKMANS CREEK

2.5N 4.6E OF TABLE ROCK, Pawnee, NE

Built 1983 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION CANAL

3.5N HOLDREGE, Phelps, NE

Built 1970 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 30

COLL 7362

Fair

Over: ELM CREEK

3.2N 4W ATLANTA, Phelps, NE

Built 1977 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 45

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION CANAL

2E 3.5N BERTRAND, Phelps, NE

Built 1959 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 10

867TH RD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE LOGAN CREEK TRIB

5E .5N OF MCCLEAN, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: E BR N FK ELKHORN RIVER

2.7E 1N OF OSMOND, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

8S 1W OF PLAINVIEW, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 5

FAS 2945

Fair

Over: BRESLAU CREEK

WJCT US20/N121 2.8W .6S, Pierce, NE

Built 1977 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 45

FAS 2825

Fair

Over: STREAM

JCT N45/N91 2W 9.9S, Platte, NE

Built 1964 Load: 24.0 t ADT: 45

Showing 3,201-3,250 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.