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

Fair

Over: LITTLE BLUE RIVER

4.2W 2.7N DEWEESE, Clay, NE

Built 1976 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 60

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

1E 1.5N FAIRFIELD, Clay, NE

Built 1950 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: EHERNBERGER DRAINAGE

.5W OF SCHUYLER, Colfax, NE

Built 1974 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: E FK MAPLE CREEK

1S 1E OF HOWELLS, Colfax, NE

Built 1992 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 100

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

4.5W 3N OF WISNER, Cuming, NE

Built 2003 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 15

FAS 3465

Fair

Over: S BR PEBBLE CREEK

SJCT US275/N32 4.2S 9.2W, Cuming, NE

Built 1990 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 460

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

7.5S 1W OF BEEMER, Cuming, NE

Built 1999 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

1.5S .5E OF ARNOLD #448, Custer, NE

Built 1981 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY ROAD 760

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

3.5N 2W OF LEXINGTON, Dawson, NE

Built 1986 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 35

COLL 7716

Fair

Over: STREAM

1.5N 7.2W OF WAKEFIELD, Dixon, NE

Built 1991 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 80

STATE STREET

Fair

Over: BIG SLOUGH

1N 1.7E OF VALLEY, Douglas, NE

Built 1932 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 46

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

3.4N 1.7W GRAFTON, Fillmore, NE

Built 1972 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 25

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: TURKEY CREEK

3.6E 1N GENEVA, Fillmore, NE

Built 1972 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 40

COLL 7668

Fair

Over: DRY SANDY CREEK

2.3S 1E OF STRANG, Fillmore, NE

Built 1972 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 65

COLL 7446

Fair

Over: STREAM

O & 31 1/2, Franklin, NE

Built 1985 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 120

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: LATERAL E-65

2.5NE OF ELWOOD, Gosper, NE

Built 1977 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 50

ENGLEMAN RD

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE CREEK

NJCT US281/N2 3W 1.7N, Hall, NE

Built 1980 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 40

B RD

Fair

Over: BIG BLUE RIVER W FK N BR

4.8S 5.5W GILTNER, Hamilton, NE

Built 1951 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: STREAM

2E 3N HAMPTON, Hamilton, NE

Built 1963 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1S 2E HAMPTON, Hamilton, NE

Built 1933 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

FAS 1445

Fair

Over: N FK DRIFTWOOD CREEK

JCT US34/N25 3.5E 10.5S, Hitchcock, NE

Built 1974 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

12.3W 3.5S EWING, Holt, NE

Built 1988 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STEELE CREEK

16N 16.4E ONEILL, Holt, NE

Built 1935 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 10

SHERMAN CO LINE RD

Fair

Over: FARWELL SOUTH CANAL

6N N58 SHERMAN CL, Howard, NE

Built 1963 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 20

12TH AVE

Fair

Over: STREAM

.5S 3.8W FARWELL, Howard, NE

Built 1984 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 25

PAGE RD/COLL 7482

Fair

Over: STREAM

1W ELBA, Howard, NE

Built 1989 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 155

FAS 3015

Fair

Over: LITTLE BLUE RIVER

JCT N8/N103 4.8W 1.2S, Jefferson, NE

Built 1977 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 235

575 AVE

Fair

Over: CUB CREEK TRIB

4.5N 2E OF JANSEN, Jefferson, NE

Built 1935 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 40

FAS 1975 40 500

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

JCT N10/N74 8E 5.2S, Kearney, NE

Built 1968 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 260

134TH ST

Fair

Over: US6/BNSF RR (H-253)

US6/134TH ST WAVERLY, Lancaster, NE

Built 1982 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 4,089

SW 112TH ST

Fair

Over: HOLMES CREEK (N 157)

1W 1.2N OF DENTON, Lancaster, NE

Built 1938 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 87

N 40TH ST

Fair

Over: STREAM (B 42)

2.5N OF DAVEY, Lancaster, NE

Built 1965 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 52

SOUTH AIRPORT RD

Fair

Over: ELKHORN RIVER TRIB

3S 3W OF NORFOLK, Madison, NE

Built 1987 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 175

FAS 2810

Fair

Over: BATTLE CREEK

JCT N32/N121 5N .6W, Madison, NE

Built 1961 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 55

COLL 7697

Fair

Over: STREAM

3W OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2003 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 50

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE WAY

1SE OF MADISON, Madison, NE

Built 2000 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 40

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: BLAKELY CREEK

.7E SUPERIOR, Nuckolls, NE

Built 1981 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 200

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

1W OF STEINAUER, Pawnee, NE

Built 1983 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 15

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: N FK ELKHORN RIVER

2N 0.3E OF PIERCE, Pierce, NE

Built 1935 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 25

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO LOSEKE CR.

6.2S 3.1E OF CRESTON, Platte, NE

Built 1985 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 20

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

5.2N 2W OF MONROE, Platte, NE

Built 1969 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 35

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

7S 6.5W OF LINDSAY, Platte, NE

Built 1989 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

FAS 2815

Fair

Over: CHERRY CREEK

JCT US81/N22 7W 2.1N, Platte, NE

Built 2015 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 360

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

3S 4.7E OF CRESTON, Platte, NE

Built 1935 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 25

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

4.2N OF CORNLEA, Platte, NE

Built 1961 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 30

COLL 7280

Fair

Over: RED WILLOW CREEK

.1N 4.5W OF INDIANOLA, Red Willow, NE

Built 2012 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 90

COUNTY HIGHWAY

Fair

Over: SWAN CREEK

.5E .4S OF SWANTON, Saline, NE

Built 1960 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 40

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

.7N 3.9W OF CERESCO, Saunders, NE

Built 2004 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 50

COLL 7837

Fair

Over: STREAM

3W OF PRAGUE, Saunders, NE

Built 1970 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 20

TOWNSHIP ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

3S 2E OF MORSE BLUFF, Saunders, NE

Built 1935 Load: 28.0 t ADT: 50

Showing 3,901-3,950 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.