If you are a resident of Iowa or travel through the state regularly, you’ll be noticing some major changes over the next few years, making your drives smoother and safer.

In a meeting held this month, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) presented a draft of its 2023-2027 transportation infrastructure plan to the state’s Transportation Commission. 

The draft chronicles the investments to be made in a multimodal transportation system, covering everything from aviation to public transit, railways, trails, and highways. 

The five-year plan lays out all the highway and bridge projects to be constructed and upgraded, as part of the Interstate, and U.S. and Iowa signed routes.

State and federal funding amounting to $4.2 billion would be allocated for the bridge and highway projects. Considerations were made in regards to different metrics like safety, traffic, congestion, and other relevant data, and with a focus on  efficient transportation of goods and motorists across the state.

Approximately $3.3b is pegged for improving the existing motorways, and more than a billion is budgeted to strengthen existing bridges. 

Regular monitoring and funding by authorities is required for the upkeep of bridges, falling under the jurisdiction of Iowa’s DOT.

As we here at Contractor News have previously examined the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will provide federal funding to facilitate the implementation of this 5-year program.  The funds will also help with increased construction costs.

Iowa DOT has published a thorough overview showing how the plan will bolster the carrying capacity of roads and highways where required, replacing river crossings, and upgrading interchanges to improve commuters' safety and meet increasing traffic demands. 

Here is a list of some of the major projects:

• I-80 Middle Road interchange reconstruction in Bettendorf
• I-35/80/235 Southwest Mixmaster modernization in Polk County
• I-380 improvement from 120th Street to U.S. 30 (including Wright Brothers interchange reconstruction) in Linn County
• Bridge replacement and widening of I-35 at the U.S. 30 interchange
• Acceleration and compression of the I-80 and Madison Avenue improvement project in Council Bluffs, which had to be delayed last year due to funding constraints
• Addition of over 100 truck parking spots.

The following projects in this program address safety and operational concerns:

• Resiliency work on Iowa 333 in Hamburg to improve access during times of flooding
• South U.S. 75 north of Sioux Center to the south junction of U.S. 18 to replace aging pavement
• Iowa 149 Des Moines River bridge to Woodland Avenue in Ottumwa to replace aging pavement
• Iowa 12 Gordon Drive bridge in Sioux City to replace an aging viaduct
• Iowa 58 Greenhill Road interchange in Waterloo to replace an existing at-grade intersection
• South U.S. 151 Interchange with Linn County Road X-20 at Springville to replace an existing at-grade intersection
• South U.S. 30 Interchange at 610th Ave at Nevada to replace an existing at-grade intersection
• Super-2 improvements on U.S. 63 in Tama County to provide more passing opportunities