Structure 23441 · Des Moines County, IA

US 34 over Mississippi River

Carries US 34 over Mississippi River, In Burlingtion.

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 overall7/9 · Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT2,270 FT OVERALL250 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 7/9Substructure 6/9 · sets the rating

2,270 ft end to end, longest span 660 ft: about 6.3 football fields. 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 cable-stayed bridge.

Built199432 years old
Length2270.0 ft691.9 m
Daily traffic7,500counted 2022
Last inspectedOctober 2023every 24 months

Location

StateIowa
CountyDes Moines
LocationIn Burlingtion
CarriesUS 34
CrossesMississippi River
Coordinates40.81263, -91.09881

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStayed Girder
Total Length2270.0 ft (691.9 m)
Max Span660.1 ft (201.2 m)
Deck Width87.6 ft (26.7 m)
Deck Area18473.7 sq m
Main Spans3
Year Built1994

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic7,500 (2022)
Truck Traffic19%
Lanes On Bridge5

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionOctober 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000023441

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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