County profile · official public datasets

Pottawattamie County, IA

557 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 38.8% rated Good, 51.9% Fair, 9.3% Poor.

557
Public bridges
38.8%
Good condition
9.3%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Pottawattamie County posts a top-quartile lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across large county bridge inventory.

Top 17%
lowest Poor share in state
9.3%
Poor-condition share
557
public highway bridges
1981
avg year built

Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.

Pottawattamie County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Pottawattamie County ranks #17 of 99 Iowa counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 9.3%). Pottawattamie County, Iowa contains 557 public highway bridges. Roughly 38.8% are rated “Good,” 51.9% “Fair,” and 9.3% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.

Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.

Total bridges

557

Public highway bridges in Pottawattamie County

Good condition

38.8%

216 of 557 rated 7-9

Fair condition

51.9%

289 of 557 rated 5-6

Poor condition

9.3%

52 of 557 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#17 of 99

Among Iowa counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 557 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
38.8% (216)
Fair
51.9% (289)
Poor
9.3% (52)

Pottawattamie County's Poor-condition bridges carry 29,080 vehicle crossings a day

That is 1.6% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 9.4% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 559 crossings a day against 3,470 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.

Computed over the 556 of 557 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

43.6% of Pottawattamie County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

243 of the 557 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 38.8% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.

Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

One structure carries 25.7% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

SOUTH EXPRESSWAY over VIADUCT(RR & STREETS), built 1976, carries 7,488 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 52-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 29,080 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Pottawattamie County's bridges were built

557 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1960s, when 124 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 22.3% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 55 to 64 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1981) matches the Iowa average (1979).

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Pottawattamie County compares with Iowa's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Iowa counties nearest Pottawattamie County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 9.3% Poor share is the 5th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1981 against a peer-group mean of 1985 is in line with the group.

Showing the 5 closest of 98 Iowa counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Pottawattamie County and the 5 Iowa counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Pottawattamie County (this page) 557 9.3%
Polk County 545 6.4%
Linn County 506 6.3%
Black Hawk County 489 6.5%
Woodbury County 455 21.1%
Sioux County 449 2.9%

Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Pottawattamie County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year

Two NBI-derived peer sets for Pottawattamie County, both outside Iowa so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside IA (557 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside IA (1981 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 557 Good 216 Fair 289 Poor 52

Fair-condition bridges (289)

I 880 WB

Fair

Over: UP RR & SR L-20

0.5 MI. E OF E JCT. I-29, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 3,150

WB I 80 & US 6

Fair

Over: FRANKLIN AVE

2.3 MI. W OF JCT. US 6, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1968 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 15,550

MAGNOLIA ROAD

Fair

Over: WALNUT CREEK

076382201, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1972 Load: 37.6 t ADT: 50

I 880 EB

Fair

Over: L 34

AT JCT. SR L34, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 37.7 t ADT: 2,850

US 6

Fair

Over: MIDDLE SILVER CREEK

2.0 mi. E of W jct SR L55, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1998 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 2,770

6TH STREET

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

6th St over Indian Creek, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1983 Load: 37.9 t ADT: 5,275

EB I 80 & US 6

Fair

Over: FRANKLIN AVE

2.3 MI. W OF JCT. US 6, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1968 Load: 38.0 t ADT: 15,550

I 880 WB

Fair

Over: IOWA 191

AT JCT. IA 191, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 38.3 t ADT: 2,850

G37

Fair

Over: I-29

AT W JCT. I-29, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1977 Load: 38.4 t ADT: 1,245

WB I-80

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

5.1 mi. W of Jct. US 59, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 39.2 t ADT: 12,850

I 880 EB

Fair

Over: IOWA 191

AT JCT. IA 191, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 2,850

WB I-80

Fair

Over: OVER ABANDON RR

3.0 MI. E OF JCT. I-680, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1965 Load: 39.5 t ADT: 13,200

EB I-80

Fair

Over: OVER ABANDON RR

3.0 MI. E OF JCT. I-680, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1965 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 13,200

EB I-80

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

5.1 mi. W of Jct. US 59, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 40.0 t ADT: 12,850

IDELWOOD ROAD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE SILVER CREEK

075410301, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1978 Load: 40.2 t ADT: 34

I-80

Fair

Over: S-W CONN OVER EB I-880

AT JCT. I-880, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 40.3 t ADT: 470

I 880 EB

Fair

Over: OLD BOYER RIVER CHANNEL

0.5 MI. E OF E JCT. I-29, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 41.1 t ADT: 670

TREASURE LANE

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE

077441610, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 2012 Load: 41.5 t ADT: 11

IA 83

Fair

Over: NATURAL CREEK

0.8 mi. E of Jct. U.S. 59, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1990 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 790

MAHOGANY ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

076421401, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1979 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 40

OL MORMON BR RD

Fair

Over: PIGEON CR AND UP RR

076442603, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 2005 Load: 43.1 t ADT: 4,660

WB I-80

Fair

Over: WB I-80 OVER S-W CONN

AT JCT. I-880, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 43.5 t ADT: 10,850

I 880 EB

Fair

Over: 185TH STREET

3.6 MI. E OF E JCT. I-29, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1960 Load: 43.9 t ADT: 3,150

WB US 275&IA 92

Fair

Over: BNSF RR AND DL #5

0.4 MI. N of N Jct. I-29, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 2007 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 5,050

US 6

Fair

Over: W NISHNABOTNA RIVER

0.5 MI. W OF W JCT. US 59, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1985 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 2,770

FM

Fair

Over: JORDAN CREEK

074390302, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1974 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 50

FM-WESTGATE RD

Fair

Over: NEOLA CREEK

077421307, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1972 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 79

DESOTO AVENUE

Fair

Over: ALLEN CREEK

077440801, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1970 Load: 46.1 t ADT: 289

I 880 WB

Fair

Over: L 34

At JCT. SR L34, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 46.3 t ADT: 2,850

I 880 WB

Fair

Over: OLD BOYER RIVER CHANNEL

0.5 MI. E OF E JCT. I-29, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1966 Load: 48.1 t ADT: 3,150

IA 83

Fair

Over: WEST NISHNABOTNA RIVER

0.4 MI. E OF U.S. 59, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1990 Load: 52.4 t ADT: 1,530

FM-IDELWOOD RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE SILVER CREEK

075410501, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1979 Load: 54.5 t ADT: 34

G-14/WHIPPERWIL

Fair

Over: HONEY CREEK

077430509, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1973 Load: 54.5 t ADT: 41

ELLIOTT ST

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

000000000, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1987 Load: 57.1 t ADT: 1,534

I-80

Fair

Over: BEDELL CREEK

2.9 mi. E of Jct. US 59, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1965 Load: 63.4 t ADT: 23,800

400TH STREET

Fair

Over: STREAM

075401402, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1979 Load: 72.5 t ADT: 50

MONUMENT ROAD

Fair

Over: STREAM

075441112, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1977 Load: 72.5 t ADT: 417

US 6

Fair

Over: LITTLE MOSQUITO CREEK

0.9 MI. E OF JCT. I-80, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1968 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 6,500

IA 92

Fair

Over: STREAM

1.6 MI. E OF SR L-35, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 1953 Load: 99.9 t ADT: 5,700

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.