Is Iowa's worst bridge near Tama?

Report shows 1951 bridge is most deficient in the state

By KEN BLACK, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
Driving on U.S. Highway 30 east of Tama? You may have more to worry about than icy roads.


A 1951 bridge approximately a mile east of town has been declared the most deficient in the state, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Transportation Information Program. Overall, Iowa’s bridges ranked fourth worst in the nation.


According to the study, 21 percent of Iowa’s bridges are structurally deficient, which means there is significant deterioration to decks or other major components.


The findings spurred Nancy Richardson, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, to issue a statement.


“The report is a fair assessment of the condition of Iowa’s aging infrastructure. But as the report suggests, the federal rating system and terms like ‘structurally deficient’ and ‘functionally obsolete’ do not mean the bridges are unsafe.”


Rather, they are simply classification terms, Richardson continued.


The bridges are still very much capable of carrying their posted weight limit, according to the transportation agency which originally released the study.


“Any bridge in the state found to be unsafe would immediately be closed,” Richardson said. “Iowans should feel confident in the safety of our bridges.”


The IDOT estimates that as many as 30 bridges may become structurally deficient each year. Normally, the state budgets enough money annually to repair approximately half that many.


If a bridge is found structurally deficient, its capacity rating could be diminished, meaning a weight limit could be posted.


Coming in as the second-worst bridge in the state was on U.S. Highway 65 in Hardin County over the Iowa River, going into Iowa Falls. It was built in 1928.


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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com