Sweetwater Road over Mud Creek
Buffalo County, Nebraska · rated Poor in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory
United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled
- Sweetwater Road over Mud Creek in Buffalo County, Nebraska, is rated in poor condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of ).
- Its lowest-rated component is the superstructure, rated 4 (poor condition) on the 0-9 scale.
- It was built in 1909, making it 116 years old at the 2025 inventory.
- It carries about 5 vehicles a day (traffic count year 2000).
- Its listed owner is the county highway agency.
- It is one of 6 of the 459 inventoried bridges in Buffalo County rated poor (1.3%); 6 (1.3%) are rated poor.
- Its traffic status in the 2025 inventory is posted for load (NBI item 41).
- Its condition class and component ratings are unchanged from the 2024 inventory.
- Its most recent inspection on record is dated September 2023, on a 24-month routine inspection cycle.
- It has fracture-critical members (NBI item 92A): steel tension members without a redundant load path, which get their own scheduled inspections.
- A poor rating means at least one major component - deck, superstructure, or substructure - is rated 4 or lower on FHWA's 0-9 scale. It does not by itself mean the bridge is unsafe; bridges judged unsafe are closed or load-restricted by their owners.
View this bridge on a map → (41.0411, -99.0079)
Component ratings
| Component | Rating (2024) | Rating (2025) | FHWA scale meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck | 7 | 7 | Good condition |
| Superstructure | 4 | 4 | Poor condition |
| Substructure | 5 | 5 | Fair condition |
Bridge details
| Structure | Steel through truss |
| Length | about 80 ft |
| Location | S Edge of Sweetwater |
| NBI structure number | C001034545 |
| Condition class | Poor |
| Traffic status (item 41) | Posted for load |
| Last inspection (item 90) | September 2023 |
| Inspection interval (item 91) | 24 months |
| Scour (item 113) | 5: foundations stable, scour within the limits of the footing or piles |
| Fracture critical (item 92A) | Yes |
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 data as reported by the Nebraska department of transportation.
Busiest bridges in Buffalo County
| Bridge | Built | Vehicles/day | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| I80 over N Ch Platte River | 1963 | 22,480 | Fair |
| I80 over N Ch Platte River | 1963 | 22,480 | Fair |
| I80 over L10D/UPRR 813-315-a | 1962 | 22,360 | Fair |
| I80 over L10D/UPRR 813-315-a | 1962 | 22,360 | Good |
| I80 over Buffalo Creek | 1963 | 20,630 | Fair |
| I80 over Buffalo Creek | 1963 | 20,630 | Good |
All bridges nearby: Buffalo County, NE bridge conditions · every bridge in Buffalo County · Nebraska bridges.
Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.