US 63
Carrying US 63 over CRANE CREEK
0.7 mi. S of jct. SR B17, Howard, Iowa
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
US 63 in Howard, Iowa sits above 38% of rated Iowa bridges on inventory load rating (27 t), while its 1971 build year is earlier than 70% of Howard's recorded-year cohort (210 bridges).
US 63 in Howard, Iowa is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1971, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair result describes the weakest reported component rather than the structure as a whole. No NBI category is a closure decision or a live crossing-safety verdict.
NBI record plate
Structure IA:000000000028650
INTERSTATE-ERA · PRESTRESS · MULTI-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- MULTI-SPAN 3 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Structural health score
A composite of the deck, superstructure, and substructure NBI condition ratings plus the inventory load rating, benchmarked against the full national bridge corpus, distinct from the Good/Fair/Poor category above.
Bridge Snapshot: US 63
The US 63 bridge in Howard, Iowa carries US 63 over CRANE CREEK. It was built in 1971, making it 55 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 3 sections, stretching 67.4 meters (221 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 4,280 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Iowa bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection places the weakest component in fair condition (see the full component ratings below). No reported major component scores in the Poor range under the current federal condition thresholds.
How US 63 compares
Age against the county: built in 1971, earlier than 146 of Howard's 210 bridges with a recorded construction year (70%), against a county median build year of 1987. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Iowa bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (23,718 of 23,719 rated).
US 63 vs every rated Iowa bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
27 Top 62% higher than 38% of 23,718 bridges
rated Iowa bridges, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more bridges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · August 2026
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Howard inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 210 bridges in this county. Orthogonal to this structure's component profile above: a county catalog share, not a live crossing-safety verdict.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1971
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 3
- Structure Length
- 67.4 m (221 ft)
- Deck Width
- 14.4 m (47 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 4,280 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000028650
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 7/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in good shape and shows no significant wear.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether US 63 is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare US 63 against other structures in Howard and across Iowa. Iowa bridges
- Noticed visible damage or a safety concern? Report it to the agency that owns the bridge, or call 911 in an emergency. How to report a bridge
Condition codes come straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory and are not a real-time safety judgment. Only the owning agency, a state DOT, county, or other owner, can post, restrict, or close a bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the condition ratings mean for US 63?
US 63 in Howard, Iowa has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 7/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is US 63 inspected?
US 63's responsible agency sets its routine interval under FHWA's risk-based inspection rules; this page does not expose the scheduled interval. It carries about 4,280 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. US 63 is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for US 63?
US 63 has an NBI inventory load rating of 26.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining US 63?
US 63 is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is US 63 and does age affect safety?
US 63 was built in 1971, making it 55 years old.
Share this inspection record
Send this source-bounded record or download its data card. An NBI condition category is not a closure or live crossing-safety verdict.
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Component ratings, ADT, and condition category on this page are copied from the NBI record for this structure; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.