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Counties seek $4M to continue county bridge match program; NDOT urges alternative financing

Appropriations Committee (Nebraska Legislature) · February 4, 2026

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Summary

County officials and contractors urged the Appropriations Committee to appropriate $4 million annually to continue the County Bridge Match Program; NDOT warned highway user revenues should not be redirected and recommended bundled financing and federal swaps instead.

Sen. Tom Brandt introduced LB1218 to fund the County Bridge Match Program at a minimum of $4 million per fiscal year. Supporters — including the Nebraska Association of County Officials, county commissioners and highway superintendents — told the committee the program is essential to replace structurally deficient county bridges, reduce local property tax pressure and keep farm‑to‑market and emergency routes open. County witnesses described individual projects completed with program support and the inability of many counties to absorb large bridge costs without state match.

John Cannon of the Nebraska Association of County Officials described the program as one of the most effective forms of property‑tax relief because it pays a large share of county bridge costs. Multiple county engineers and highway superintendents reported project costs ranging from several hundred thousand dollars for box culverts to several million for larger river structures.

NDOT Director Vikki Kramer testified in opposition to using NDOT highway user revenue to fund county bridge work, arguing the department already faces a growing delta between revenue and the needs of the state highway system and that redirecting highway funds would jeopardize programmed state projects. Kramer urged identifying an alternative dedicated revenue source or pursuing bundled, programmatic finance models and federal financing swaps that preserve NDOT obligations while addressing county needs at scale.

The committee heard no organized opposition. Senators and witnesses discussed bonding, inheritance tax funds, federal funding options and governance models for bundling projects to achieve economies of scale. The bill’s proponents asked for continued state support while NDOT and stakeholders develop longer‑term financing strategies.