The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) presented a draft of the Fiscal Year 2023-2027 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program to the Iowa Transportation Commission Tuesday.
Included in the $4.2 billion in state and federal funding expected to be available over the next five years are planned investments in the state’s multimodal transportation system covering aviation, public transit, railroads, trails, and highways. Developed and approved annually by the Commission, the plan looks at all interstate, U.S. and Iowa signed routes.
One key area of investment will be bridges, the DOT said.
“The Commission prioritizes investments that improve the safety and condition of existing state highways and bridges, and this draft Program includes over $3.3 billion of investments in that area,” the Iowa DOT said. “Significant investments in bridges have been made over the last 15 years, dropping the number of poor condition bridges on the state highway system from 256 in 2006 to 30 in 2022. This draft Program includes more than $1.3 billion of additional bridge investments.”
The draft Program will also invest in projects adding capacity where necessary, as well as replacing major river crossings and modernizing interchanges to improve safety and handle future traffic demands. Projects funded include I-80 Middle Road interchange reconstruction in Bettendorf, I-35/80/235 Southwest Mixmaster modernization in Polk County, and I-380 improvement from 120th Street to U.S. 30 in Linn County.
The investment includes money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, increasing highway-related funding by 30 percent.