Structure 3700 · Polk County, IA

Walnut ST over Des Moines River

Carries Walnut ST over Des Moines River, 078240400.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure at 3 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating3/9 · Serious
Superstructuresets the rating3/9 · Serious
Substructure4/9 · Poor
Channelnot part of overall6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT503 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 3/9 · sets the ratingSuperstructure 3/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 4/9

503 ft end to end, longest span 75 ft: about 7 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 deck arch.

Built1911rebuilt 1966
Length503.0 ft153.3 m
Daily traffic3,844counted 2022
Last inspectedAugust 2023every 24 months

Location

StateIowa
CountyPolk
Location078240400
CarriesWalnut ST
CrossesDes Moines River
Coordinates41.58724, -93.61828

Physical Characteristics

MaterialConcrete Continuous
DesignArch - Deck
Total Length503.0 ft (153.3 m)
Max Span75.1 ft (22.9 m)
Deck Width85.0 ft (25.9 m)
Deck Area3970.5 sq m
Main Spans6
Year Built1911 (reconstructed 1966)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic3,844 (2022)
Lanes On Bridge4

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical5 — Stable for scour
Structure Number000000000003700

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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