Structure 32880 · Kossuth County, IA

US 169 over E Fork Des Moines River

Carries US 169 over E Fork Des Moines River, 1.0 Mi. S Of SR B63.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Substructure at 6 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructure7/9 · Good
Substructuresets the rating6/9 · Satisfactory
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT246 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

246 ft end to end, longest span 82 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.

Built197155 years old
Length246.1 ft75 m
Daily traffic2,880counted 2022
Last inspectedAugust 2024every 24 months

Location

StateIowa
CountyKossuth
Location1.0 Mi. S Of SR B63
CarriesUS 169
CrossesE Fork Des Moines River
Coordinates42.93512, -94.22700

Physical Characteristics

MaterialPrestressed Concrete
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length246.1 ft (75 m)
Max Span82.0 ft (25 m)
Deck Width47.2 ft (14.4 m)
Deck Area1,080 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1971

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic2,880 (2022)
Truck Traffic27%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number000000000032880

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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