Iowa’s Most Iconic Covered Bridge May Be Falling Apart

Besides baseball cornfields in Iowa, there's a red bridge everyone knows.

It's the Winterset, Iowa red, covered bridge from the 1995 movie "The Bridges of Madison County" starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.

Now, the Holliwell Covered Bridge may be in danger. According to WHO13, this week, the Madison County Board of Supervisors voted to apply the bridge for Preservation Iowa's 2026 "Most Endangered Properties" program.

This is due to the 145-year-old bridge's deterioration, a lack of funding to restore it, and the possibility that public access to the bridge could be cut off within 10 years if the needed major repairs aren't done.

Holliwell Bridge was built in 1880 and is one of 5 still-standing covered bridges in Madison County. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cost estimate to renovate the bridge is about $1.2 million, and here's why: shifting structural elements, decaying roof and floor supports, and eroding abutments.

The structure was last updated in 1995 for $225,000 via a grant. In the meeting this week, County Engineer Mike Hackett said federal grants have been frozen and the county has explored all possible ways to get funding for the bridge.

Travel-related spending is big for Madison County too. About 100,000-150,000 come to visit the bridges each year. Now, tourism carries 95 jobs, $2.7 million in work income, $20.1 million in business sales, and $2.5 million in state and local tax revenue.

As for what Iowa's Most Endangered Properties program could do to help? They can connect the county to other resources to help preserve the bridge. Nominations for the program are reviewed by a panel of judges who take into consideration categories including geographic distribution, historic significance, the type of threat, and the kinds of building types.