Highway 100 may get 'foot in the door' under state plan

A draft five-year highway plan released by by the state includes $4.3 million for the extension of Highway 100 and $22 million to repave I-380 from downtown Cedar Rapids to County Home Road.

The roughly $3 billion draft plan was released after being discussed by the Iowa Transportation Commission at its meetings Monday, May 10 and Tuesday, May 11 in Ames. It will be up for final approval at the commission's June meeting.

The plan brings on few new highway construction projects, partly because a long-term federal transportation funding bill has not been approved.

The new projects are the four-laning of U.S. 20 in Woodbury County, U.S. 30 in Boone and Story counties, and improvements to Highway 86 in Dickinson County.

The plan proposes spending $1.2 billion on maintenance and preservation of existing highways and large sums to complete several projects that are already in the works.

The largest new construction projects are $302 million to upgrade the I-29/I-80/I-480 interchange in the Council Bluffs area, and $268 million to improve the safety and operation of I-29 through Sioux City.

Repaving of I-380 from the CRANDIC railroad crossing in downtown Cedar Rapids to County Home Road would take place in 2013.

Land would be acquired for the first phase of Highway 100 from Edgewood Road to Covington Road in 2012 and 2013. The draft budget includes $1.7 million in 2012 and $1.8 million in 2013 for right of way acquisition, and $765,000 for wetlands mitigation.

Major Johnson County projects include $9.5 million to continue the widening of I-80 to six lanes east of I-380 to east of Highway 1 in 2011 and 2012.