Why are Iowa's bridges crumbling?

Iowa’s bridges are bad – and many are crumbling. The Hawkeye state has the seventh most bridges in the nation, but tops the list as having the most that are structurally deficient.

The bridges rated in “poor” condition sit at more than 2.5 times the national average.

James Nelson is with Iowa’s Department of Transportation. The Bridges and Structures Bureau director says it’s not as bad as it sounds. He tells Straight Arrow News, “…a ‘poor’ bridge is not an unsafe bridge. A poor bridge just means there’s something on it that we would like to repair.”

Of Iowa’s 23,799 bridges, 4,599 are rated “poor” and 1,800 are deemed “intolerable.” Another 300 bridges in the state are shut down due to safety concerns.