Structure 42361 · Polk County, IA

42nd ST SW over I-235

Carries 42nd ST SW over I-235, 1.5 Mi East Of Jct Ia 28.

Overall conditionGood

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck at 7 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating7/9 · Good
Superstructure8/9 · Very Good
Substructure8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT219 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 7/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 8/9Substructure 8/9

219 ft end to end, longest span 115 ft: about 3 semi-trucks nose to tail. Lengths and the semi-truck on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a multi-beam bridge.

Built200323 years old
Length219.2 ft66.8 m
Daily traffic11,600counted 2022
Last inspectedDecember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateIowa
CountyPolk
Location1.5 Mi East Of Jct Ia 28
Carries42nd ST SW
CrossesI-235
Coordinates41.59096, -93.67438

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length219.2 ft (66.8 m)
Max Span115.2 ft (35.1 m)
Deck Width73.8 ft (22.5 m)
Deck Area1,503 sq m
Main Spans2
Year Built2003

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic11,600 (2022)
Truck Traffic3%
Lanes On Bridge3
Lanes Under Bridge9

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionDecember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number000000000042361

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.

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