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Bridge conditions in Van Buren County, Iowa

155 inventoried bridges · 49 rated poor · 2025 National Bridge Inventory

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

Van Buren County has 49 bridges rated poor out of 155 inventoried, a 31.6% share that puts it well above the national rate of about 7%.

49 of the 155 bridges in Van Buren County, Iowa, are rated in poor condition (31.6%) in the 2025 National Bridge Inventory, as of August 20, 2026.
37 bridges (23.9%) are rated good and 69 (44.5%) fair.
The median Van Buren County bridge was built in 1972.
The busiest poor-rated bridge is W40 over Des Moines River (built 1960), carrying about 970 vehicles a day.

Good 23.9% · Fair 44.5% · Poor 31.6% of 155 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
W40 over Des Moines River	1960	970	Poor
FM over Stream	1956	260	Poor
FM over Creek	1966	70	Poor
FM over Rock Creek	1953	70	Poor
Local over Trib of Des Moines River	1954	62	Poor
Local over Reeds CR	1959	62	Poor
Local over Creek	1980	62	Poor
Local over Trib Des Moines River	1950	60	Poor
Local over Creek	1969	51	Poor
FM over Trib Des Moines R	1969	50	Poor
Local over Creek	1956	50	Poor
FM over Creek	1955	50	Poor
Local over Little Lick Creek	1972	47	Poor
FM over Trib Des Moines River	1920	45	Poor
Local over Creek	1955	41	Poor
Local over Holcomb Creek	1956	41	Poor
Local over Trib to Holcomb Creek	1976	40	Poor
FM over Stream	1976	40	Poor
FM over Creek	1977	40	Poor
Local over Reeds Creek	1967	35	Poor
Local over Big Indian Creek	1967	30	Poor
Local over Small Stream	1975	30	Poor
Local over Trib Desmoines River	1966	26	Poor
Local over Small Stream	1976	26	Poor
Local over Trib Des Moines R	1912	26	Poor
Local over Creek	1977	26	Poor
Local over Creek	1972	26	Poor
160TH Rd over Holcomb Creek	1963	26	Poor
FM over Creek	1955	25	Poor
Local over Stream	1968	25	Poor
Local over Creek	1960	21	Poor
Local over Big Indian Creek	1960	21	Poor
Local over Little Cedar Creek	1961	21	Poor
Local over Stream	1930	21	Poor
Local over Holcomb Creek	1975	21	Poor
FM over Chequest Creek	1953	20	Poor
Local over Creek	1971	16	Poor
Local over Trib Des Moines River	1977	16	Poor
Local over Creek	1974	15	Poor
Local over Creek	1959	11	Poor
Local over Creek	1967	11	Poor
Local over Coates CR	1959	11	Poor
Local over Creek	1964	11	Poor
Local over Creek	1968	11	Poor
Local over Small Tributary	1977	11	Poor
Local over Creek	1968	11	Poor
Field Entrance over Side Drainage (sdb)	1976	10	Poor
Local over Trib Desmoines River R	1971	5	Poor
Main St over Trib Des Moines River	1965	5	Poor

Busiest bridges in the county

Bridge	Built	Vehicles/day	Condition
Ia 1 & Ia 16 over Little Lick Creek	1967	2,320	Fair
Ia 1 over Des Moines River	2007	2,270	Good
Ia 2 over Des Moines River	2012	1,440	Good
Ia 2 over Rock Creek	1925	1,340	Fair
Ia 2 over Stream	1960	1,330	Fair
Ia 2 over White Oak Creek	1925	1,320	Fair
Ia 16 over Stump Creek	2003	1,190	Good
Ia 2 over Fox River	1969	1,130	Fair
Ia 2 over Bone Run Creek	1969	1,130	Fair
Ia 2 over Big Indian Creek	1969	1,130	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 Van Buren County → - all 155, 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.