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

200TH AVE

Good

Over: HONEY CREEK

089050204, Delaware, IA

Built 1983 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 29

URBAIN RD

Good

Over: CREEK

087E10607, Dubuque, IA

Built 2018 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 15

W AVE

Good

Over: CREEK

093103302, Fayette, IA

Built 1981 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 766

30TH ST

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH NO 13

90193501102500, Franklin, IA

Built 2020 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 59

LOCAL

Good

Over: BRUSH CREEK

072082604, Jefferson, IA

Built 1981 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 80

FOREST CHAPEL

Good

Over: DUTCH CREEK

084041516, Jones, IA

Built 1995 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 304

G63 305TH ST

Good

Over: DRAINAGE

074151303, Mahaska, IA

Built 2016 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 120

80TH AVE

Good

Over: TRACEY CREEK

075203202, Marion, IA

Built 2020 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 51

NOBLE AVE

Good

Over: BURR OAK CREEK

099163202, Mitchell, IA

Built 1973 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 79

LOCAL RD

Good

Over: SOUTH LIZARD CREEK

090320601, Pocahontas, IA

Built 1979 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 11

310TH AVE

Good

Over: STREAM

067281502, Ringgold, IA

Built 2017 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 5

FM

Good

Over: NO NAME

094432002, Sioux, IA

Built 1974 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 722

L22

Good

Over: WILLOW CREEK

095432602, Sioux, IA

Built 1955 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 359

FM

Good

Over: CREEK

095443501, Sioux, IA

Built 1968 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 71

FM

Good

Over: NO NAME

095462101, Sioux, IA

Built 1974 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 898

FM

Good

Over: NO NAME CREEK

095471502, Sioux, IA

Built 1973 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 369

LOCAL

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

097452703, Sioux, IA

Built 1960 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,117

FM

Good

Over: SMALL CREEK

097472902, Sioux, IA

Built 1976 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 718

TROUT RUN RD

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

0.2 Mi E Middle Calmar Rd, Winneshiek, IA

Built 2016 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 805

NOLAN AVE

Good

Over: WAPSIPINICON RIVER

088083204, Buchanan, IA

Built 1996 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 135

Y4E 130TH AVE

Good

Over: OVERFLOW STRUCTURE

081E11507, Clinton, IA

Built 2014 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,060

MCMURRAY AVE

Good

Over: KEIGLEY BRANCH

086252302, Hamilton, IA

Built 2017 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 34

V AVENUE

Good

Over: PITCHER CREEK

091391502, Cherokee, IA

Built 2022 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 60

4TH AVE SW

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

Int 4th Ave/3rd St SW, Bremer, IA

Built 2015 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 283

2ND ST SW

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

Int of 6th Ave/2st SW, Bremer, IA

Built 2015 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 173

3RD AVE SW

Good

Over: DRY RUN CREEK

Int 3rd St/3rd Ave SW, Bremer, IA

Built 2015 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 253

5TH AVE SW

Good

Over: DRY RUN CREEK

0.2 Mi E of 4th St SW, Bremer, IA

Built 2015 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 501

1ST AVE NW

Good

Over: DRY RUN CREEK

100 E of 6th Ave NW, Bremer, IA

Built 2015 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 283

19TH ST SE

Good

Over: MASON CREEK

0.1 mile East of Kentucky, Cerro Gordo, IA

Built 2016 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 281

CHAYSE ST SW

Good

Over: DITCH NUMBER 2

080233600, Polk, IA

Built 2021 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 14

EASTERN HILLS DR

Good

Over: STREAM

150 NE State Orchard Rd, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 2020 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,339

US 34 EB

Good

Over: X-31 & LONG CREEK

6.4 mi. E of SR X30, Des Moines, IA

Built 2005 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,550

US 218 RAMP E

Good

Over: US 218

2.7 mi. N of S Jct US 34, Henry, IA

Built 2001 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 3,430

US 63 NB

Good

Over: 100TH STREET

0.9 mi. N of N Jct. US 34, Wapello, IA

Built 2007 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,950

I80US6 WB TO I29NB

Good

Over: RR & DRAINAGE DITCH

4.0 MI. E OF NE LINE, Pottawattamie, IA

Built 2017 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 1,450

US218NB TO I80 WB

Good

Over: I 80 RAMPS F & G

I-80/I-380 INTERCHANGE, Johnson, IA

Built 2023 Load: 33.0 t ADT: 2,340

56TH ST

Good

Over: I-235

0.5 mi. E of Jct. IA 28, Polk, IA

Built 2005 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 5,745

FM

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

078362802, Audubon, IA

Built 1973 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 110

WEIDEN RD

Good

Over: SINK CREEK

88-12-17-06-10, Black Hawk, IA

Built 1985 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 274

260TH ST

Good

Over: BROPHYS CREEK

081E53001, Clinton, IA

Built 1985 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 35

125TH STREET

Good

Over: DEEP CREEK

083E51703, Clinton, IA

Built 1977 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 100

460TH AVE.

Good

Over: ELK RIVER

083E61204, Clinton, IA

Built 1986 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 82

LOCAL

Good

Over: STREAM

081330502, Guthrie, IA

Built 1997 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 20

IRELAND AVENUE

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

080073304, Johnson, IA

Built 1973 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 8,339

LOCAL

Good

Over: OCHEYEDAN RIVER

099400801, Osceola, IA

Built 1975 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 90

ORANGE AVENUE

Good

Over: SMALL STREAM

077071708, Washington, IA

Built 2019 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 131

LOCAL

Good

Over: THISTLE CREEK

088272201, Webster, IA

Built 1980 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 50

WB US 20

Good

Over: HESS RD

0.3 mi.W of W jct 380/218, Black Hawk, IA

Built 1983 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 10,800

US 61 SB

Good

Over: JACK CREEK

1.7 MI. N OF JCT. US 218, Lee, IA

Built 1998 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 3,050

SB US 65

Good

Over: OVER UP RR

1.9 MILES N OF N JCT IA 5, Polk, IA

Built 1997 Load: 33.1 t ADT: 12,450

Showing 14,051-14,100 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.