A Federal Highway Administration report lists more than one-quarter of the nation’s bridges as “structurally deficient.” Iowa Department of Transportation Engineer Bruce Brakke says that doesn’t mean the bridges need to be closed down.The term “structurally deficient” means some part of the bridge is in bad shape, but Brakke says it doesn’t mean the bridge is unsafe. He says some bridges simply don’t meet the width or weight standards.Brakke says just over 500 of the four thousand state-owned bridges carry the “structurally deficient” label.Brakke says the D-O-T is continually working to upgrade the state-owned bridges.There are 21-thousand bridges in Iowa under the control of counties and cities.
