Report Says Iowa Has Worst Bridges in USA

A new awareness campaign says that Iowa has the worst bridges in the United States. The group Rebuild USA says they'd like to know what you think of their plans to improve on it.

The findings are based in part on a 2019 Infrastructure Report Card that scores Iowa's bridges at a "D+" which is defined as a "poor" grade and a danger level of "at risk".

Iowa is first in the nation with the number of structurally deficient bridges, with just under 20% structurally deficient in 2018. Iowa lawmakers acted in 2015 to provide enough funding for critical highway and bridge needs, and the system is just now beginning to see signs of investment.

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) owns 4,130 bridges, Iowa counties own 18,759 bridges, and cities in Iowa own 1,165 bridges.

Other infrastructure problems in Iowa include issues with dams, inland waterways and levees. The report also give scores to Iowa's rails, highways and solid waste departments.

These are the collective findings and recommendations of the Iowa Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers whose jobs are to plan, design, construct, and maintain our state's infrastructure networks.