County Road 31 over Bates Branch
Saunders County, Nebraska · rated Fair in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory
United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled
- County Road 31 over Bates Branch in Saunders County, Nebraska, is rated in fair condition in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory (as of ).
- Its lowest-rated component is the deck, rated 5 (fair condition) on the 0-9 scale.
- It was built in 1971, making it 54 years old at the 2025 inventory.
- It carries about 100 vehicles a day (traffic count year 1998).
- Its listed owner is the county highway agency.
- It is one of 330 of the 507 inventoried bridges in Saunders County rated fair (65.1%); 38 (7.5%) are rated poor.
- Its traffic status in the 2025 inventory is open, no restriction (NBI item 41).
- Its class is unchanged from 2024 (fair), but component ratings moved: deck 7 to 5.
- Its most recent inspection on record is dated July 2024, 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 fair rating means the lowest-rated major component scores 5 or 6 on FHWA's 0-9 scale: some deterioration or minor section loss, but the structure is sound. It is the middle class, not a warning.
View this bridge on a map → (41.0924, -96.8894)
Component ratings
| Component | Rating (2024) | Rating (2025) | FHWA scale meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck | 7 | 5 | Fair condition |
| Superstructure | 5 | 5 | Fair condition |
| Substructure | 6 | 6 | Satisfactory condition |
Bridge details
| Structure | Steel girder and floorbeam |
| Length | about 88 ft |
| Location | .3N 3W of Valparaiso |
| NBI structure number | C007800315 |
| Condition class | Fair |
| Traffic status (item 41) | Open, no restriction |
| Last inspection (item 90) | July 2024 |
| Inspection interval (item 91) | 24 months |
| Scour (item 113) | 4: foundations stable, field review says exposed foundations need protection |
| Fracture critical (item 92A) | Yes |
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025 data as reported by the Nebraska department of transportation.
Busiest bridges in Saunders County
| Bridge | Built | Vehicles/day | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| W 1ST St over Cottonwood Creek Trib | 2002 | 11,680 | Good |
| N92 over Upper Clear Creek | 1960 | 9,110 | Good |
| US77 over Wahoo&cottonwood Cr/uprr | 2001 | 8,985 | Good |
| US77 over Lake Wanahoo Spillway | 2010 | 8,640 | Fair |
| US77/N92 over Silver Creek | 1926 | 8,520 | Fair |
| US77/N92 over Silver Creek Trib | 1926 | 8,520 | Fair |
All bridges nearby: Saunders County, NE bridge conditions · every bridge in Saunders County · Nebraska bridges.
Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.