Van Buren County Bridge Report Card

Van Buren County scores 47 out of 100 on BridgeLookup's Bridge Condition Exposure Score, based on FHWA National Bridge Inventory records.

F47 / 100

Local infrastructure snapshot

Van Buren County, Iowa

Van Buren County has 155 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, with 49 rated poor and 5 rated scour-critical. Its poor-condition share of 31.6% is above the 18.6% statewide average. Poor-condition bridges carry about 2,681 daily vehicle crossings.

155Total Bridges

49Poor (31.6%)

69Fair (44.5%)

5Scour-Critical

Quote-Ready Local Facts

31.6%of county bridges are in poor condition, compared with 18.6% statewide and 6.7% nationally.

2,681daily vehicle crossings are on poor-condition bridges in the county.

5bridges are rated scour-critical, or 3.2% of the county bridge inventory.

Copyable Facts for Reporters

BridgeLookup.com gives Van Buren County a Bridge Condition Exposure Score of 47/100 (F). The county has 155 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, including 49 in poor condition and 5 rated scour-critical. Poor-condition bridges carry about 2,681 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	31.6%	40.0
Poor-condition traffic exposure	25	7.7% of measured traffic	5.8
Scour-critical bridge share	20	3.2%	6.5
Average age vs national baseline	10	50 years vs 48 nationally	0.7
Traffic-data completeness	5	34,837 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	31.6%
State Poor-Condition Share	18.6%
National Poor-Condition Share	6.7%
County Scour-Critical Share	3.2%
Average Bridge Age	50 years
Poor-Condition Traffic Exposure	2,681 vehicles/day

Bridges to Watch

Busiest Poor-Condition BridgeW40 over Des Moines River — 970 vehicles/day Oldest Listed BridgeLocal over Trib Des Moines R — built in 1912 All County BridgesBrowse every bridge record in Van Buren County.

Top Bridges to Watch in Van Buren County

Bridge	Reason	Condition	Daily Traffic	Year Built
Local over Reeds CR	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	62	1959
Local over Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	50	1956
FM over Chequest Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	20	1953
Local over Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	11	1959
Local over Small Tributary	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	11	1977
W40 over Des Moines River	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	970	1960
FM over Stream	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	260	1956
FM over Rock Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	70	1953
FM over Creek	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	70	1966
Local over Trib Of Des Moines River	Poor condition + traffic exposure	Poor	62	1954

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.