Iowa Has The Most Structurally Deficient Bridges In The U.S.

If you thought you were terrified of bridges before, wait until you find out just how bad bridges in Iowa are.

Sure, The Bridges of Madison County is literally based on covered bridges in Iowa, but bridges might not be a subject Iowans want to bring up anytime soon. Why? The amount of deficient bridges in the state is astounding and one of Iowa's major cities has the most deficient and crossed bridge in the state.

Like I said, get ready to start considering buying a boat to get across the Mississippi River instead of taking this bridge until it's up to par.

Iowa Has A Serious Deficient Bridge Problem

A new report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association says that Iowa has a bad bridge problem. Not that it has too many bridges but actually bad bridges. Bridges that should make you nervous to drive on.

The report on Iowa says repairs are needed on almost 15,000 bridges across the state. Iowa is actually number one in two categories and that's not a good thing. Iowa is #1 in the U.S. in percentage of structurally deficient bridges (19%), and #1 in the nation in number of structurally deficient bridges (4,544). Pennsylvania is second in that category with a little over 2,900 bridges.

The number of structurally deficient bridges and bridges in need of repair in Iowa has gone down since 2020.

The most structurally deficient bridge in Iowa is right here in our home of the Quad Cities. You won't like this news if the Centennial Bridge already makes you nervous.

Built in 1940, the Centennial Bridge is the most structurally deficient bridge in Iowa. This bridge sees around 26,500 crossings per day. KWQC reports that although the Centennial Bridge is technically an Iowa bridge, the Illinois DOT is in charge of its condition and upkeep. Plans are underway to determine the Centennial's future.

The Centennial Bridge isn't the only bridge close to home that is at the top of this list. The bridge at Eastern Ave over Duck Creek in Davenport is the 3rd most structurally deficient bridge in Iowa. Eastern Ave over Goose Creek in Davenport also made this list at number 13.