Des Moines County Bridge Report Card

Des Moines County scores 61 out of 100 on BridgeLookup's Bridge Condition Exposure Score, based on FHWA National Bridge Inventory records.

D61 / 100

Local infrastructure snapshot

Des Moines County, Iowa

Des Moines County has 173 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, with 28 rated poor and 3 rated scour-critical. Its poor-condition share of 16.2% is at or below the 18.6% statewide average. Poor-condition bridges carry about 13,240 daily vehicle crossings.

173Total Bridges

28Poor (16.2%)

77Fair (44.5%)

3Scour-Critical

Quote-Ready Local Facts

16.2%of county bridges are in poor condition, compared with 18.6% statewide and 6.7% nationally.

13,240daily vehicle crossings are on poor-condition bridges in the county.

3bridges are rated scour-critical, or 1.7% of the county bridge inventory.

Copyable Facts for Reporters

BridgeLookup.com gives Des Moines County a Bridge Condition Exposure Score of 61/100 (D). The county has 173 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, including 28 in poor condition and 3 rated scour-critical. Poor-condition bridges carry about 13,240 daily vehicle crossings. Poor condition does not mean unsafe; bridges judged unsafe are closed or restricted by transportation agencies.

Download all county report-card scores as CSV.

How the Score Breaks Down

Factor	Weight	County Value	Penalty
Poor-condition bridge share	40	16.2%	32.4
Poor-condition traffic exposure	25	4.6% of measured traffic	3.5
Scour-critical bridge share	20	1.7%	3.5
Average age vs national baseline	10	47 years vs 48 nationally	0.0
Traffic-data completeness	5	285,534 measured daily crossings	0.0

Score = 100 minus weighted penalties. The score is a comparative research signal, not an official safety rating. Read the full methodology.

County Comparisons

County Poor-Condition Share	16.2%
State Poor-Condition Share	18.6%
National Poor-Condition Share	6.7%
County Scour-Critical Share	1.7%
Average Bridge Age	47 years
Poor-Condition Traffic Exposure	13,240 vehicles/day

Bridges to Watch

Busiest Poor-Condition BridgeMain Street South over Small Creek — 3,705 vehicles/day Oldest Listed BridgeAsh ST over Des Moines ST — built in 1882 All County BridgesBrowse every bridge record in Des Moines County.

Top Bridges to Watch in Des Moines County

Bridge	Reason	Condition	Daily Traffic	Year Built
Middle Road over Brush Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	10	1946
Main Street South over Small Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	3,705	1886
FM over Little Flint River	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	2,000	1968
FM over Flint River	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	1,210	1960
FM over Knotty Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	1,019	1980
X 99 over Hawkeye Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	770	1938
So Main ST over Cascade Landing	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	743	1896
FM over Long Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	690	1966
FM over Long Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	690	1966
FM over Flint River	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	670	1974

Important safety note

Poor condition does not mean a bridge is unsafe. It means at least one major component has significant deterioration and the bridge is a priority for maintenance, repair, or replacement. Bridges judged unsafe are closed or restricted by transportation agencies.