Riverine Infrastructure Database (RIDB)

The Iowa Department of Transportation owns approximately 2,100 bridges over streams and rivers on the primary highway system. Many of these highway bridge and roadway sites are vulnerable to flood damage and overtopping during flood events. An innovative and proactive approach to assessing the vulnerability and risk of transportation projects and systems can be accomplished through the Riverine Infrastructure Data Base (RIDB). The relational database incorporates hydraulic (flow and flood elevations) and infrastructure (low road and bridge beam elevations) that can be utilized to provide the rapid assessment of riverine locations when the potential for roadway overtopping or bridge inundation could occur.