Forty-five of the 405 bridges in the Des Moines metropolitan area have been deemed “structurally deficient,” according to a report released today by the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The “Quality of Our Bridges” report was created by the MPO after the organization analyzed data from the National Bridge Inventory.

The MPO’s analysis of bridges found:

• Forty-five are classified as “structurally deficient,” a federal classification given to bridges that need significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.

• Sixty are classified as “functionally obsolete,” a federal classification for bridges that no longer meet current design criteria, due to such factors as traffic volumes or lane widths.

• Eighty-one are eligible for federal funding through the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program due to their classification as either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

The report concludes that the region is on track to maintain current bridge conditions, a goal outlined in the long-range transportation plan, Mobilizing Tomorrow.

The full “Quality of Our Bridges” report is available online.