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Bridge conditions in Des Moines County, Iowa

173 inventoried bridges · 28 rated poor · 2025 National Bridge Inventory

United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled August 20, 2026

Des Moines County has 28 bridges rated poor out of 173 inventoried, a 16.2% share that puts it well above the national rate of about 7%.

28 of the 173 bridges in Des Moines County, Iowa, are rated in poor condition (16.2%) in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory, as of August 20, 2026.
68 bridges (39.3%) are rated good and 77 (44.5%) fair.
The median Des Moines County bridge was built in 1976.
The busiest poor-rated bridge is Main Street South over Small Creek (built 1886), carrying about 3,705 vehicles a day.

Good 39.3% · Fair 44.5% · Poor 16.2% of 173 bridges

Bridges rated poor

Every bridge in the county with a poor rating, busiest first. Poor means a major component is rated 4 or lower on FHWA's 0-9 scale; it is a repair flag, not a closure notice.

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
Main Street South over Small Creek	1886	3,705	Poor
FM over Little Flint River	1968	2,000	Poor
FM over Flint River	1960	1,210	Poor
FM over Knotty Creek	1980	1,019	Poor
X 99 over Hawkeye Creek	1938	770	Poor
So Main St over Cascade Landing	1896	743	Poor
FM over Long Creek	1966	690	Poor
FM over Long Creek	1966	690	Poor
FM over Flint River	1974	670	Poor
Local Road over Brush Creek	1927	393	Poor
FM over Flint River	1941	280	Poor
FM over Dry Branch	1970	240	Poor
FM over Backwater (pump Station)	1972	240	Poor
FM over Paul Creek	1957	130	Poor
FM over Big Hollow Creek	1956	90	Poor
FM over Long Creek	1950	60	Poor
FM over Small Stream	1949	60	Poor
FM over Cottonwood Drain	1953	60	Poor
FM over Cold Spring Branch	1959	40	Poor
Local over Small Stream	1970	26	Poor
Local over Small Stream	1970	26	Poor
Local over East Fork Crooked Creek	1950	26	Poor
FM over Hawkeye Dolbee Channel	1953	25	Poor
Local over Small Stream	1985	11	Poor
Hawkeye Rd over Hawkeye Creek	1910	11	Poor
Middle Road over Brush Creek	1946	10	Poor
Plant Road Fs-12 over Long Creek	2003	10	Poor
Middle Road over Spring Creek	1910	5	Poor

Busiest bridges in the county

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
US 61 over US 34	1973	16,700	Fair
US 61 over Brush Creek	1995	10,200	Good
Gear Ave over US 34	1976	9,700	Fair
US 34 over Mississippi River	1994	7,500	Fair
US 34 over Bur Jun RR AND CITY STS	1971	7,500	Fair
EB US 34 over Broadway Ave	1976	6,550	Fair
WB US 34 over Broadway Ave	1976	6,550	Fair
EB US 34 over W Burlington Ave	1976	6,550	Fair
WB US 34 over W Burlington Ave	1976	6,550	Good
Curran St over US 34	1973	6,500	Fair

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025. Counts cover inventoried highway bridges over 20 feet; ratings are reported by the state DOT.

Every bridge in Des Moines County → - all 173, busiest first, each with its own condition record.

All of Iowa: Iowa bridge conditions by county · every download on the data page.

Background: how bridge ratings work · what "poor" and "structurally deficient" actually mean · how often bridges are inspected.