The Iowa Department of Transportation's five-year Transportation Improvement Program was approved on Tuesday thanks to the Iowa Transportation Commission approval of the project. Iowans all over the state will see improvements to their roads and bridges.
A great deal of funding for this project came from President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was signed in November 2021. According to the White House, Iowa will receive approximately $5 billion, with $3.4 billion going to highways, and $432 million going to bridge replacement and repairs.
The IIJA paid for projects were already scheduled, and also provided the funding for the commission to add more. Some of the added projects include:
- Road work in Sioux center
- A Des Moines River bridge in Ottumwa
- The Gordon Drive Bridge in Sioux City
- An interchange at Cedar Falls
- And improvements to US 63 in Tama County
The five-year plan covers all kind of infrastructure including trails, aviation, and railroads. The main goal of the highway program are safety, maintenance, and modernization, including $1.2 billion for Iowa's state-owned bridges and more than $2.8 billion set aside for the modernization of the highway system.
Two of Iowa’s six federal delegates voted for IIJA: Rep. Cindy Axne and Sen. Chuck Grassley.
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Source: IowaStartingLine.com
