On an annual basis, the Iowa DOT extends funding for replacement or rehabilitation of city-owned bridges that have been classified by an engineering inspection as poor. Bridges are assigned priority points based on criteria shown on the Priority Point Worksheet. Once a city requests that an eligible bridge be considered for funding, it is ranked annually until an offer of funding is made and accepted by the city or the city requests that the bridge no longer be considered for funding. The majority of funds for this program are federal-aid and vary according to the current federal funding methodology and availability of funds. For more information, refer to I.M. 1.100, Highway Bridge Programs for Cities and Counties.
The federal government's fiscal year runs from October 1 of one calendar year through September 30 of the next. For example, Federal Fiscal Year 2024 (FFY25) runs from October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024. Since City Bridge Funds are awarded for the next Federal Fiscal Year, funding awarded in the FFY24 program are available starting October 1, 2023. Cities with questions should contact Eryn Stone in the Local Systems Bureau at 515-450-4103 or via email at Eryn.Stone@iowadot.us.
FFY25 City Bridge Candidate Award List
This spreadsheet shows the bridges that were on the City Bridge Candidate List in the most recently closed funding cycle. Highlighted bridges were offered funding.
Qualifying Bridge List (QBL) – Cities Only
This spreadsheet shows the structures that qualify for Highway Bridge Program funding as detailed in I.M. 1.100. To assemble this listing, the DOT extracts information from SIIMS at the end of each calendar year. The data is then passed to FHWA. FHWA reviews the data and returns a finalized list to the DOT in approximately June of each year. Therefore, cities can expect that the data contained in this sheet may be a year old or more depending on when the last inspection was done on a structure and entered into SIIMS.
Additional Resources
The Bridge Condition Report found on the Iowa Public Works Service Bureau https://www.iowapwsb.org/bridge-condition-report is an interactive map that examines the condition of municipal bridges in all Iowa Cities, based on the official National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data that is reviewed by FHWA to determine Good/Fair/Poor categories annually.
County bridge priority point rating spreadsheet
This report shows each county's bridges, and the corresponding priority points according to the rating system in I.M. 1.100. The total points for each structure are located in the left-most column of the spreadsheet. The total points are currently not complete. In order to view the correct points for each structure, the county must input the Estimated Project Cost and Detour Length values in their respective columns. Counties with questions concerning these figures should contact Niki Stinn in the Office of Local Systems at 515-239-1064 or via email at Niki.Stinn@iowadot.us.
Qualifying Bridge List (QBL) – Counties Only
This spreadsheet shows the structures that qualify for Highway Bridge Program funding as detailed in I.M. 1.100. To assemble this listing, the DOT extracts information from SIIMS at the end of each calendar year. The data is then passed to FHWA. FHWA reviews the data and returns a finalized list to the DOT in approximately June of each year. Local Systems then uses the approved list in October of each year to calculate the new HBP funding allocation factors. Therefore, counties can expect that the data contained in this sheet may be a year old or more depending on when the last inspection was done on a structure and entered into SIIMS. Counties with questions concerning this listing should contact Niki Stinn in the Local Systems Bureau via phone at 515-239-1064 or via email at niki.stinn@iowadot.us.
County Bridge Standards
Standard bridge plans designed for use by local agencies.
Culvert Standards
Standard culvert designs for use by the Iowa DOT and local agencies.
Preliminary Design Software
The Iowa DOT has a Culvert Program as well as a Bridge Backwater Program that is free to download for use by Local Public Agencies and Consultants at this link.
Annual Bridge Reports
The Iowa DOT Bridges and Structures Bureau compiles an Annual Bridge Report that can be found here.
Structural Inventory and Inspection Management System (SIIMS)
SIIMS is used by the Iowa DOT, local agencies, and their consultants to enter and review bridge inspection information in order to comply with the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS).