Efforts continue to fix Clayton County’s deficient bridges

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

In the last several years, Iowa has had the concerning distinction of having the nation’s poorest and structurally deficient bridges. According to the 2024 annual bridge report put out by the Iowa Department of Transportation, it continued to rank first in that category for 2023 with a total of 4,538 out of 23,684 bridges qualifying for that designation. Iowa ranked seventh in total number of bridges.

These are bridges, by definition, that have deterioration or damage that will need repairs or replacement in the future, but are deemed safe enough for travel by the 1.5 million people who cross the structures every day. 

Bridges are, on average, 42 years old along the state’s primary highway system, and average 46 years old on the local highway system.

The County Structurally Deficient Bridges Report for fiscal year 2023, released in February of this year, said an additional 336 bridges became structurally deficient during the fiscal year, while 299 were repaired or replaced, resulting in an increase of 37 structurally deficient bridges. Despite spending more money during fiscal year 2023 than in the previous year, the number of deficient bridges increased over the last two years.

The report cites several factors, including reduced buying power, an increased construction price index and a greater reliance on bridge funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which slows project progress. 

Combined, these factors result in a reduction in the number of bridges that can be addressed, though it should be noted industry trade group The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s bridge report on Iowa indicated the state currently has access to $280 million in IIJA funding. $92 million was committed toward 119 projects as of June.

Though the number seems jarring, Iowa Department of Transportation Director Scott Marler, during a state transportation commission meeting in September 2023, said the numbers don’t tell the whole story and there is nothing unsafe about the poor and deficient bridges. He further stated the majority of those bridges are on rural road systems and carry “very little traffic.”

According to the 2024 bridge report, 50 percent of poor bridges on the local highway system carry fewer than 35 vehicles, while over 74 percent carry fewer than 100 vehicles per day. If a bridge were declared unsafe, it would be closed.

In Clayton County, of the 224 total bridges, the number categorized as structurally deficient rose from 21 to 29 during fiscal year 2023, though Clayton County Engineer Casey Stickfort commented  that number now stands at 25, with four bridges being removed from deficient status. 

Stickfort, who became county engineer two years ago, is responsible for inspecting all 224 bridges in the county, a process he will start in September, spending between two to four hours per inspection.

Stickfort looks to remove as many bridges as possible every year, and anticipates at least 10 bridges will be removed in the next two years. Among the bridges worked on this year, and currently programmed for replacement or rehabilitation, was the Bixby Road Bridge west of Volga. Built in 1960, the woodpiles used to support the structure had decayed and were a relatively short fix, requiring replacement piles that were reinforced and encased in concrete. This project was completed in March at a total cost of about 11 percent of a new structure, funded through road use tax and local tax, and has been removed from the deficient list.

A similar project took place at Buck Creek, north of Guttenberg. Another minor rehab, this required footing rebar and a concrete encasement that was completed in April. But unlike Bixby, there was no impact on local traffic. 

Another bridge removed from the list was Crystal Road by Volga, as well as last year’s projects on 295th and Acorn.

One of the more notable local projects involving the bridge over the Volga River on Domino Road is closed for a deck repair project, and was shut down in early August. Stickfort discussed the work with Volga Mayor Carrie Taylor throughout the past year, and though Taylor declined to comment for this article, according to Stickfort, several concerns were addressed during those discussions, as well as at a public meeting on Aug. 7. Among those concerns were garbage collection and emergency vehicle access.

Indeed, EMS Service Director Melissa Fettkether stated “The biggest impact of concern, to me, was the ability for EMS and fire to respond to any calls during the period that would make response more difficult and affect response times.”

She added, “the construction crew has been great to work with and there is a plan in place to mitigate those concerns to the best of our abilities.”

Solving this issue in the beginning was simply letting first responders cross the river. However, there would be a period of time when the bridge would be closed. During that time, Stickfort stated they were allowing the city to park an emergency vehicle in the secondary roads shop, putting emergency vehicles on both sides of the bridge. This proved valuable given the occurrence of a logging accident while the bridge was closed to traffic.  

The bridge made the deficient list due to the deck needing to be replaced. The project required nearly 50 percent of the deck to be jackhammered and replaced, as well as a new deck overlay. The total cost of the project, which also included a second bridge over Wolf Creek with a similar deck decay, was about 27 percent of a new structure, or less than the $1.4 million it would cost to replace the entire bridge. According to Stickfort, the project is being paid for with federal funds, and outside the “inconvenience,” it won’t cost Volga anything.

Upcoming bridge projects include Millers Creek, west of Guttenberg, which is expected to start Oct. 1. Built in 1916, the 38-foot bridge is not salvageable and needs a complete replacement that will cost around $375,000, paid for with federal funds. The bridge closure should have minimal impact, as Stickfort described it as a “scenic route bridge.” It should be completed early next year.

Two more bridges are programmed, one on Ivory Road, east of the fairgrounds, and another on Coffee Road by Buena Vista. Both have deficient sub-structures, though work isn’t expected to start until 2025.

Although Stickfort and his team are making significant progress on removing bridges from the deficient list, he acknowledged it is a “never ending game.” Stickfort anticipates finding more deficient structures during his inspections throughout the closing months of the year, which will undoubtedly be added to the rolling five-year plan. 

That plan, however, is also dependent on funding, which mainly comes from gas tax and local option sales tax, which has seen a slight decrease over the last year. Stickfort stated there has been no immediate impact, as of yet, on services or programmed bridge projects. He is “stretching every penny.”

However, the situation prompted Stickfort to reach out to State Senator Mike Klimesh, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, who brought up the Time-21Fund, a source of funding for Iowa’s road infrastructure that could help make up that shortfall. The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and Traffic Safety Improvement Program (TSIP) are funding sources as well. 

As of August, TSIP has provided $500,000 to fund the Great River Road intersection to put paved shoulders on the route, expected in 2026, while receiving $330,000 through HSIP to fund paved shoulders on Golden Avenue north of Farmersburg, also scheduled for 2026.  

In the never-ending battle with structurally deficient bridges, Stickfort is heading into 2025 with bridges removed and others programmed, and a lofty goal of decreasing that number. He does so with great concern and a “sense of care,” for the lives of those who drive over them, even if it is just 35 people a day.