Bridge conditions in Polk County, Iowa
548 inventoried bridges · 34 rated poor · 2025 National Bridge Inventory
United States Bridge Conditions2025 National Bridge Inventory, FHWACompiled
The federal inventory lists 548 bridges in Polk County: 319 rated good, 195 fair, and 34 poor.
- 34 of the 548 bridges in Polk County, Iowa, are rated in poor condition (6.2%) in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory, as of .
- 319 bridges (58.2%) are rated good and 195 (35.6%) fair.
- The median Polk County bridge was built in 1994.
- The busiest poor-rated bridge is Fleur Dr over Old UP RR & SW 22ND (built 1936), carrying about 15,634 vehicles a day.
Good 58.2% · Fair 35.6% · Poor 6.2% of 548 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fleur Dr over Old UP RR & SW 22ND | 1936 | 15,634 | Poor |
| SW 9TH St over Cherry RR Mlk Pkwy | 1967 | 14,108 | Poor |
| SW 9TH St over Raccoon River & Trail | 1967 | 12,809 | Poor |
| SE 6TH St over Des Moines River | 1976 | 7,911 | Poor |
| SW 8TH St over RR Cherry Mlk Jr Pkwy | 1967 | 6,875 | Poor |
| SE 5TH St over Yeader Creek | 1976 | 4,717 | Poor |
| Williams St over Four Mile Creek | 1978 | 3,908 | Poor |
| Walnut St over Des Moines River | 1911 | 3,844 | Poor |
| Grant St South over Mud Creek | 1927 | 2,902 | Poor |
| Fleur Dr over Raccoon and RR | 1936 | 2,825 | Poor |
| NE 38TH St over I 80 | 1959 | 1,654 | Poor |
| St Johns Rd over Drainage | 1900 | 684 | Poor |
| NE 108TH St over Camp Creek | 1950 | 467 | Poor |
| NE 38TH St over Drainage Ditch | 1914 | 459 | Poor |
| NE Berwick Drive over UP Railroad | 1948 | 406 | Poor |
| FM SW Mckinley over Frink Creek | 1937 | 246 | Poor |
| NW 86TH St over Little Beaver Creek | 1926 | 199 | Poor |
| SE 48TH Ave over Mud Creek Tributary | 1962 | 162 | Poor |
| SE 45TH St over over UP RR | 1962 | 148 | Poor |
| FM over Branch Skunk River | 1968 | 139 | Poor |
| NE 150TH Ave over Skunk River Tributary | 1968 | 132 | Poor |
| NE 86TH Ave over Four Mile Creek | 1941 | 89 | Poor |
| SE 124TH St over Camp Creek | 1930 | 81 | Poor |
| NW 166TH Ave over Little Creek | 1917 | 80 | Poor |
| Local Road over Mud Creek | 1913 | 79 | Poor |
| NW 150TH Ave over Turkey Creek Tributary | 1980 | 51 | Poor |
| SE 80TH Ave over Mud Creek | 1920 | 50 | Poor |
| Local Road over Indian Creek | 1916 | 45 | Poor |
| NE 23RD Ave over Camp Creek | 1959 | 36 | Poor |
| Local Road over Skunk River | 1928 | 29 | Poor |
| SE Miller Dr over Camp Creek | 1914 | 26 | Poor |
| Local Road over Mud Creek | 1925 | 20 | Poor |
| Off NE 108TH St over Camp Creek Tributary | 1950 | 10 | Poor |
| Yellow Banks Pk over Stream | 1980 | – | Poor |
Busiest bridges in the county
| Bridge | Built | Vehicles/day | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-235 over Drainage Ditch | 1966 | 118,600 | Fair |
| I-235 & 17TH St over Blue Creek | 1968 | 113,200 | Fair |
| I 235 over Des Moines Rvr Rbrtraydr | 1962 | 88,200 | Good |
| I-35 & I-80 over N Walnut Creek | 1958 | 81,600 | Fair |
| I 35 over Trib to Four Mile Creek | 2018 | 58,300 | Good |
| EB I-235 over Walnut Creek | 1968 | 58,050 | Fair |
| WB I-235 over Walnut Creek | 1968 | 58,050 | Fair |
| EB I-235 over 17TH St | 1967 | 56,600 | Fair |
| WB I-235 over 17TH St | 1967 | 56,600 | Fair |
| NB I-35 EB I-80 over Walnut Creek | 1958 | 55,950 | Fair |
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2025. Counts cover inventoried highway bridges over 20 feet; ratings are reported by the state DOT.
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.