Structure S097 13367 · Cherry County, NE

N97 over Niobrara River

Carries N97 over Niobrara River, 9sw Valentine.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Substructure at 7 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating7/9 · Good
Superstructure8/9 · Very Good
Substructuresets the rating7/9 · Good
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT203 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 8/9Substructure 7/9 · sets the rating

203 ft end to end, longest span 100 ft: about 3 semi-trucks nose to tail. Lengths and the semi-truck on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a multi-beam bridge.

Built199432 years old
Length203.1 ft61.9 m
Daily traffic500counted 2018
Last inspectedMarch 2025every 24 months

Location

StateNebraska
CountyCherry
Location9sw Valentine
CarriesN97
CrossesNiobrara River
Coordinates42.80740, -100.66640

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length203.1 ft (61.9 m)
Max Span100.1 ft (30.5 m)
Deck Width38.4 ft (11.7 m)
Deck Area724.2 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1994

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic500 (2018)
Truck Traffic10%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMarch 2025
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure NumberS097 13367

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.