The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved the state’s Fiscal Year 2026-2030 Transportation Improvement Program, outlining $4.3 billion in state and federal investments over the next five years.
The program covers Iowa’s multimodal transportation system—including highways, bridges, aviation, transit, rail and trails—with a focus on safety and infrastructure preservation.
Approximately $3.8 billion is dedicated to improving existing roads and bridges, with nearly $1.6 billion allocated to bridge upgrades. Iowa has reduced the number of poor-condition bridges on its state highway system from 256 in 2006 to just 26 in 2025, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The plan also includes major interstate and corridor improvements such as the Interstate 80 bridge replacement over the Mississippi River in Scott County, Interstate 35 widening near Ankeny, and Interstate 380 upgrades in Linn and Johnson counties. Additional projects target critical freight routes and the modernization of high-traffic interchanges.
“The Transportation Improvement Program documents investments across our multimodal system,” said Shawn Majors, director of the Iowa DOT’s Program Management Bureau, in a statement. “Balancing infrastructure needs with limited revenue is always a challenge, but the extra funding from the 2021 federal infrastructure law helped us address key priorities.”
That federal boost, set to end in 2026, increased Iowa’s annual infrastructure funding by 20 to 30% but was partially offset by inflation. Still, the program will fund long-term improvements aimed at safer, more efficient transportation for all Iowans.
Source: The Iowa Department of Transportation, The Gazette
