Structure S281 20777 · Holt County, NE

US 281 over Niobrara River

Carries US 281 over Niobrara River, 24n Oneill.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck at 8 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating8/9 · Very Good
Superstructure9/9 · Excellent
Substructure9/9 · Excellent
Channelnot part of overall9/9 · Excellent
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT1,055 FT OVERALL200 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 8/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 9/9Substructure 9/9

1,055 ft end to end, longest span 155 ft: about 2.9 football fields. 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.

Built20206 years old
Length1055.1 ft321.6 m
Daily traffic1,295counted 2018
Last inspectedMarch 2023every 24 months

Location

StateNebraska
CountyHolt
Location24n Oneill
CarriesUS 281
CrossesNiobrara River
Coordinates42.80520, -98.65110

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length1055.1 ft (321.6 m)
Max Span154.9 ft (47.2 m)
Deck Width46.6 ft (14.2 m)
Deck Area4566.7 sq m
Main Spans7
Year Built2020

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic1,295 (2018)
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMarch 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure NumberS281 20777

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.

Nearby Bridges