The state transportation commission approved changes in the five-year highway improvement plan Tuesday to shift around and add 61-and-a-half million dollars in projects.

Department of Transportation spokesman John Ranney says four projects will start sooner than originally planned.

Ranney says the amendment advanced three bridge projects and one interstate pavement project that had been scheduled for later years, but will now be part of this construction season.

The bridge projects are the Iowa 187 bridge replacement over the Maquoketa River in Fayette County; Iowa 25 bridge replacement over Mason Creek in Guthrie County; Iowa 175 bridge replacement over a stream east of Arthur in Ida County. The Interstate project will replace pavement on I-35 in Clarke County.

Ranney says over two dozen paving projects were added to the plan. He says there were 14 of the paving projects added that will now be done this year. Ranney says they changes are part of the adjustments made annually to the transportation improvement plan.

Ranney says the additional funding for the projects was made possible by favorable construction lettings for projects and savings in the budget. Ranney says there are a series of issues that are reviewed to determine which projects will move up and which ones are added to the plan.

Here are the 14 highway pavement projects added to the plan:

Iowa 14 in Butler County from Iowa 3 to Floyd County; Iowa 130 in Cedar County from Tipton to Scott County; U-S. 30 in Clinton County from County Road Z-24 to U-S 67; U-S 63 in Davis County from Missouri to Iowa two; Iowa 14 in Floyd County from Greene to Charles City Iowa 25 in Guthrie County from Iowa 141 to County Road E-63; Iowa 141 in Guthrie County from Coon Rapids to Iowa four; Iowa 38 in Jones County from Olin to Iowa 64; U-S 61 in Lee County from Keokuk to Fort Madison; U-S 61 in Lee County from Fort Madison to Burlington; Iowa two in Ringgold County from Iowa 25 to Mount Ayr; U-S 18 in Sioux County from Lyon County to Rock Valley; U-S 218 in Washington County from approximately 240th Street to 160th Street; Iowa 376 in Woodbury County from I-29 to Glenn Avenue in Sioux City.

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