LOCAL - WICHITA
Carrying LOCAL - WICHITA over NODAWAY RIVER
074352903, Cass, Iowa
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
LOCAL - WICHITA in Cass, Iowa sits above 66% of rated Iowa bridges on inventory load rating (33 t), while its 1988 build year is earlier than 28% of Cass's recorded-year cohort (295 bridges).
LOCAL - WICHITA in Cass, Iowa is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1988, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 4. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor 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:000000000097031
LATE-CENTURY · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · TRACE-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- LATE-CENTURY 1980–1999
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- TRACE-ADT Trace ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-POOR Poor
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Bridge Snapshot: LOCAL - WICHITA
The LOCAL - WICHITA bridge in Cass, Iowa carries LOCAL - WICHITA over NODAWAY RIVER. It was built in 1988, making it 38 years old today. It was last reconstructed in 1989, extending its service life. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 45.4 meters (149 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 26 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Iowa bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure at 4/9, substructure at 5/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. Because at least one major component scores 4 or lower, this bridge falls in FHWA's Poor condition category. That category is not a closure order.
How LOCAL - WICHITA compares
Age against the county: built in 1988, earlier than 84 of Cass's 295 bridges with a recorded construction year (28%), against a county median build year of 1978. This is one of the newer structures in its county.
Live comparison across Iowa bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (23,718 of 23,719 rated).
LOCAL - WICHITA vs every rated Iowa bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
33 Top 34% higher than 66% 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.
Cass inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 295 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
- 1988
- Last Reconstructed
- 1989
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 45.4 m (149 ft)
- Deck Width
- 6.4 m (21 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 26 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000097031
Condition Analysis
- • At 4/9, the deck (driving surface) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor condition (4/9), showing advanced deterioration on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 5/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
LOCAL - WICHITA is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare LOCAL - WICHITA against other structures in Cass 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 LOCAL - WICHITA?
LOCAL - WICHITA in Cass, Iowa has a deck rating of 4/9, superstructure rating of 4/9, and substructure rating of 5/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is LOCAL - WICHITA inspected?
LOCAL - WICHITA'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 26 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. LOCAL - WICHITA is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for LOCAL - WICHITA?
LOCAL - WICHITA has an NBI inventory load rating of 32.8 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining LOCAL - WICHITA?
LOCAL - WICHITA is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is LOCAL - WICHITA and does age affect safety?
LOCAL - WICHITA was built in 1988, making it 38 years old and last reconstructed in 1989.
Disclaimer: Bridge condition data is from the FHWA NBI and reflects the last reported inspection. A Poor condition rating is not a live declaration that a bridge is closed or unsafe for travel. For current closure, posting, or safety information, contact the responsible transportation agency.
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.