Rebuild or build new: Breaking down Iowa's multibillion-dollar highway plan

CEDAR RAPIDS — The three Rs of maintaining Iowa's extensive network of roads and bridges — repair, rehabilitate and replace — are centerpieces of a record investment planned over the next five years in Iowa's highway system.

An analysis by The Gazette of the Iowa Department of Transportation proposed multibillion-dollar 2016-20 Transportation Improvement Program shows more than a third, or $1.36 billion, of the historic investment will go to replace bridges, rehabilitate pavement and repair culverts, among other fixes to add years to the life of the infrastructure.

Another $106 million is earmarked for patching and bridge overlays, which is a protective coat to preserve a bridge deck.

'If you don't fix it now, when you do fix it, it will cost you much, much more,' Iowa Transportation Commissioner Leonard Boswell said. 'And when you have deterioration, you start doing damage to tires, and undercarriages and traffic.'

The record investment is boosted by the first gas tax increase in 25 years, which is forecast to pump $501 million into the plan. Supporters touted the tax as necessary to restore Iowa's network of 114,000 miles of public roads and 25,000 bridges, which have drawn national attention for falling into disrepair.

The extra money helps explain a 19 percent jump, from $644.6 million in fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2016's $767 million highway improvement program, which is a major component of the five-year plan.

Where the Money Goes

Over the next five years, the Iowa DOT has budgeted $3.9 billion for the program, according to the analysis. The figure is significantly larger than the $3.2 billion announced when a draft of the plan was released earlier this month.

Stuart Anderson, Iowa DOT director of the planning, programming and modal division, said the smaller figure excludes spending not directly tied to highway right of way or construction projects, such as maintenance, railroad crossing improvements, engineering consultants and to address unforeseen emergencies.

Some of the discrepancies include $287 million for engineering consultants, $2.5 million for railroad crossing improvements and $36 million for emergency contingencies.

Other notable figures from the analysis:

• $106 million for buying land

• 96 bridge replacements at $831 million

• 1,757 miles of roadway work

• $234 million investment in Linn County

• $103 million investment in Johnson County.

The Iowa Transportation Commission will consider approving the program at its next meeting on June 9.

Critics: Spend Less on New Roads

Critics are skeptical about the plan.

They say even more of the budget should go to repairs of existing roads and bridges, and they question the heavy investment in building new infrastructure that will need to be maintained.

'All the talk that was in the air before the gas tax was passed, it was all about crumbling infrastructure and fixing these structurally deficient bridges,' said Ernie Adkison, political director of Muscatine-based Iowans for Tax Relief. 'It was a safety issue. Now we see the money is being used for expanding existing roads, and that is disappointing although not unexpected.'

Nearly $385 million of the budget is allocated to adding lanes to three cross Iowa highways considered 'key corridors' — 61, 20 and 30, according to the analysis. These projects consume 73 percent of the $501 million in extra gas tax revenue, according to the analysis.

State leaders such as Gov. Terry Branstad and DOT officials say new roads, typically expansions, included in the plan will drive the economy, improve flow of freight shipments and increase access for residents.

Anderson said the gas tax revenue will work through the system, as intended by the legislation. The money will go toward the most critical road and bridge needs, and the backlog of those needs should subside, he said.

'From a total system perspective, the additional revenue may not show significant progress at first,' Anderson said. 'However, as it relates to those most critical road and bridge projects, those projects most important to moving goods, connecting people and providing access, we will see progress.'

Federal Uncertainty

The DOT plan assumes $307.8 in federal money per year, although Congress will need to act to ensure the money is available. Appropriations for the Highway Trust Fund is set to expire at the end of May.

The DOT's Anderson said there are no guarantees, but Congress historically has continued funding without causing major disruptions in Iowa.

'There is risk, but I wouldn't characterize it as a lot of risk,' Anderson said. 'We've had a Highway Trust Fund cliff before, and Congress has always taken action to address that cliff and move it out a certain time period ...

For us to be comfortable, from a federal funding perspective, to fully get through this construction season, we'd need to get through the end of September.'

Busy Summer

A $33 million shot in the arm this spring courtesy of the gas tax adds to a busy construction season across the state.

Mark Bortle, a DOT traffic safety engineer, said the DOT will have about 700 work zones across the state. Motorists can keep tabs of around 50 major construction projects on a newly launched Iowa DOT website at http://smgs.us/3k1m.

In the Corridor, the big road project is the continuation of the Highway 100 extension to Highway 30, which will bypass downtown Cedar Rapids and Interstate 380 by connecting travelers from the west and north.

Within a month, motorists will be shifted on to the new Edgewood Road bridge as part of the Highway 100 extension, said Cathy Cutler of the Cedar Rapids district six office of the Iowa DOT.

The $18 million Edgewood Road portion still has months to go, with an estimated November completion. The $200 million extension is supposed to be finished in 2020.

Other projects include the completion by the end of June of a yearlong $6.5 million concrete replacement on Highway 30 from Stoney Point Road to Edgewood Road. By the end of August, the $3 million nighttime resurfacing of Highway 100 from west of Council Street to east of Northland Avenue should be complete.

"We've got significant projects, but it's not busier than normal," Cutler said.

Discretion on Spending

Roads in Iowa include 14 percent in poor condition, and 1 in 5 bridges are considered structurally deficient, which for rural bridges ranks as third worst in the nation, according to federal data cited in a recent report by the National Transportation Research Group.

Much of Iowa's crumbling infrastructure fall outside of the DOT's control and into the jurisdiction of cities and counties, which will split about $100 million per year in proceeds from the gas tax.

Critics, such as Iowans for Tax Relief, pushed for any gas tax increase to come with spending requirement to avoid cases such as in Clinton, where the city council approved the extra gas tax revenue to hire three staff members. That decision earned rebuke from Gov. Terry Branstad, among others.

Lucas Beenken, public policy specialist for the Iowa State Association of Counties, said most agencies are being responsible stewards with the money.

Beenken said the association has been advising counties that the legislative intent of the gas tax increase was to put the money toward infrastructure, and he believes it will be appropriately spent.

'I think this will go toward roads and bridges and the public will see the progress and see their tax dollars at work in time,' Beenken said.

Linn, Johnson and Iowa counties have a combined 21 projects to address deficient bridges this year, although work was planned before the gas tax. It could take a few years to see the extra gas tax money cycle through the system in active construction projects, given they often require months of preplanning for engineering, design and environmental studies.

In future years, though, money is slated to repair critical roads and bridges.

'The short answer is, yes, more money will help,' said Linn County Engineer Steve Gannon. 'But, if we rebuild a road at $1 million a mile, it doesn't go far if you have a lot of needs built up.'