State profile · Above median Poor share

Iowa bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Iowa.

23,719
Public bridges
38.8%
Good condition
19.2%
Poor condition

Iowa holds 23,719 public highway bridges (#7 of 52 by inventory) with a 19.16% Poor share (#1 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 19.2% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 53 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

23,719

Public highway bridges in Iowa

Good Condition

38.8%

9,213 bridges rated 7-9

-11.2pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

19.2%

4,544 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

11.6pp vs national avg 7.5%

Iowa vs national bridge condition

Iowa - Good condition share 38.8%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Iowa - Poor-condition share 63.9%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Iowa in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Iowa has 23,719 bridges and a 19.2% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #53 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Iowa has 23,719 bridges and a 19.2% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #53 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Iowa vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

23,719 7th of 54 higher than 47 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. 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 · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Iowa

The highlighted point is Iowa: 23,719 bridges and 19.16% in Poor condition, rank #53 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Iowa on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • South Dakota: 5,887 bridges · 16.36% Poor
  • West Virginia: 7,348 bridges · 18.64% Poor
  • Iowa: 23,719 bridges · 19.16% Poor
  • Virgin Islands: 24 bridges · 29.17% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Iowa

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 23,719 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Iowa’s inventory

State agency holds 17.7% of the 23,719 public highway bridges filed under Iowa in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Iowa’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 12.4% of the 23,719 bridges with a recorded original year in Iowa. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Iowa38.8%42%19.2%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Iowa (FHWA NBI)

Counties (99)

Adair 306 Adams 186 Allamakee 197 Appanoose 183 Audubon 206 Benton 374 Black Hawk 489 Boone 135 Bremer 266 Buchanan 316 Buena Vista 156 Butler 289 Calhoun 197 Carroll 249 Cass 295 Cedar 301 Cerro Gordo 266 Cherokee 248 Chickasaw 302 Clarke 168 Clay 151 Clayton 256 Clinton 372 Crawford 301 Dallas 199 Davis 165 Decatur 197 Delaware 293 Des Moines 176 Dickinson 84 Dubuque 346 Emmet 78 Fayette 362 Floyd 213 Franklin 228 Fremont 179 Greene 168 Grundy 289 Guthrie 263 Hamilton 165 Hancock 138 Hardin 241 Harrison 217 Henry 173 Howard 210 Humboldt 87 Ida 182 Iowa 241 Jackson 246 Jasper 382 Jefferson 157 Johnson 372 Jones 231 Keokuk 183 Kossuth 267 Lee 214 Linn 506 Louisa 151 Lucas 195 Lyon 276 Madison 225 Mahaska 225 Marion 217 Marshall 304 Mills 184 Mitchell 167 Monona 162 Monroe 130 Montgomery 210 Muscatine 144 O'Brien 264 Osceola 185 Page 196 Palo Alto 135 Plymouth 432 Pocahontas 201 Polk 545 Pottawattamie 557 Poweshiek 248 Ringgold 217 Sac 224 Scott 291 Shelby 207 Sioux 449 Story 296 Tama 337 Taylor 220 Union 169 Van Buren 156 Wapello 190 Warren 239 Washington 207 Wayne 163 Webster 190 Winnebago 55 Winneshiek 342 Woodbury 455 Worth 116 Wright 182

Iowa vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Iowa on the same metric.

SD

South Dakota

16.36% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,887

WV

West Virginia

18.64% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$7,348
Selected

IA

Iowa

19.16% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$23,719

VI

Virgin Islands

29.17% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$24

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Iowa

Six lowest-condition bridges in Iowa, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

MAIN ST

Poor

Over: IOWA RIVER

089211800, Hardin, IA

Built 1936 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,858

SO MAIN ST

Poor

Over: CASCADE LANDING

000000000, Des Moines, IA

Built 1896 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 743

E 13TH ST

Poor

Over: OVER I.C.E. RR

000000000, Scott, IA

Built 1900 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 358

EMERSON ST

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

000000000, Madison, IA

Built 1965 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 396

1ST AVE S

Poor

Over: 21ST ST & RR

089282000, Webster, IA

Built 1968 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 9,860

1ST ST

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE

D60500515, Audubon, IA

Built 1930 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 9

All Bridges in Iowa

BUTLER RD

Good

Over: CREEK

091143004, Bremer, IA

Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 39

VIKING AVE

Good

Over: STREAM

092111502, Bremer, IA

Built 2001 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,090

VIKING AV

Good

Over: CREEK

092113402, Bremer, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 854

LOCAL

Good

Over: BASKINS CREEK

092130701, Bremer, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 49

BISHOP AV

Good

Over: STREAM

092140804, Bremer, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 44

180TH ST

Good

Over: STREAM

092141109, Bremer, IA

Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 766

212TH ST

Good

Over: STREAM

092143603, Bremer, IA

Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 638

120TH ST

Good

Over: STREAM

093111303, Bremer, IA

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 69

PIEDMONT AVE

Good

Over: STREAM

093121002, Bremer, IA

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20

EASTON AV

Good

Over: STREAM

093143502, Bremer, IA

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 766

LOCAL 280TH ST.

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

000087090601, Buchanan, IA

Built 2010 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 16

305TH ST

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

S17 T87N R09W, Buchanan, IA

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 26

240TH ST

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

8807152100, Buchanan, IA

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 29

FM YORK AVE

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

088072502, Buchanan, IA

Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 69

252ND ST

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

088092103, Buchanan, IA

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 73

200TH ST

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

089102701, Buchanan, IA

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 15

FM 115TH ST

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

090070803, Buchanan, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 49

POSTEL AVENUE

Good

Over: CREEK

090082204, Buchanan, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10

LOCAL

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

090360401, Buena Vista, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60

FM

Good

Over: BOYER CREEK

090373401, Buena Vista, IA

Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20

30TH AVE

Good

Over: BR MAPLE RIVER

090382102, Buena Vista, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

LOCAL

Good

Over: BRANCH RACCOON RIVER

091363604, Buena Vista, IA

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

LOCAL

Good

Over: BR MAPLE CREEK

092380602, Buena Vista, IA

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

LOCAL

Good

Over: BR RACCOON RIVER

093351705, Buena Vista, IA

Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 80

FM

Good

Over: CREEK

093360407, Buena Vista, IA

Built 2001 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 300

SINCLAIR AVE

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

090160302, Butler, IA

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 638

FM

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

090181002, Butler, IA

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 501

SINCLAIR AVE

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

091160302, Butler, IA

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 579

FM

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

091181002, Butler, IA

Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 579

DOUGLAS AVE.

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

091183402, Butler, IA

Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 501

C33

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

092161701, Butler, IA

Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 609

C 25 170TH ST

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

App. 2200 W. of Hwy 14, Butler, IA

Built 2019 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 69

FM

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

092171903, Butler, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 304

FM

Good

Over: KILSON CREEK

092172001, Butler, IA

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 304

FM

Good

Over: RACOON RIVER

086342203, Calhoun, IA

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 110

FM

Good

Over: DD NO. 46

087342202, Calhoun, IA

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 40

LOCAL

Good

Over: DD#81

089343102, Calhoun, IA

Built 1986 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11

FM

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

082352502, Carroll, IA

Built 1987 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 150

GRANT RD

Good

Over: MIDDLE RACCOON RIVER

000000000, Carroll, IA

Built 1986 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,914

FM

Good

Over: MIDDLE RACOON RIVER

085362601, Carroll, IA

Built 1971 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 20

FM - JACKSON

Good

Over: CREEK

076342101, Cass, IA

Built 1999 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 131

230 TH ST

Good

Over: STREAM

080011201, Cedar, IA

Built 2007 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 71

240TH ST

Good

Over: SUGAR CREEK

080011801, Cedar, IA

Built 1995 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60

UNION AVE

Good

Over: SUGAR CREEK

080012802, Cedar, IA

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 970

F28 (BAKER AVE)

Good

Over: GOWER CREEK

080040502, Cedar, IA

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 950

LOCAL

Good

Over: NICHOLSON CREEK

080041901, Cedar, IA

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 72

FM

Good

Over: SMALL

081010210, Cedar, IA

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 740

HOOVER HWY

Good

Over: LIZARD CREEK

081011606, Cedar, IA

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 480

270TH ST

Good

Over: ROCK CREEK

081013501, Cedar, IA

Built 2010 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60

FM

Good

Over: ROCK RUN CREEK

081030602, Cedar, IA

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,300

Showing 12,851-12,900 of 23,719 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

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

What to do with this

Use Iowa's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Iowa Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; 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.