The Iowa Transportation Commission approved the new five-year plan that lays out the priorities for projects. Department of Transportation spokesman Jon Ranney says a major component of the plan is highway construction, and for 2010 through 2014 there’s a projected 2.1-billion dollars in projected funding available.
Ranney says the highway portion of the plan includes the completion of previously scheduled highway projects that include Highway 63 in Bremer County. It also includes the U.S. 61 Fort Madison bypass; the U.S. 30 Tama/Toledo bypass; U.S. 20 in Sac, Calhoun and Webster counties; U.S. 30 in Story and Marshall counties; and U.S. 34 relocation in Mills County. He there are also investments in major interstate economic development projects in Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Bettendorf.
Ranney says other work was added to the updated highway plan. That includes work on U.S. 30 in Benton County; U.S. 63 in Black Hawk County, specifically in Waterloo; U.S. 218 in Bremer County; U.S. 30 in Clinton County; Iowa 4 in Greene County; U.S. 61 in Louisa County; Iowa 330 in Marshall County; U.S. 75 in Plymouth County and Iowa 92 in Warren County. The funding for the program includes federal 2009 Recovery Act money of $400-million.
The Transportation Commission will take public input on the program and is expected to give it final approval in June. You can view the five-year plan here .