Cedar Rapids to seek $50 million federal grant for Eighth Avenue Bridge replacement

CEDAR RAPIDS — In a walking tour of Cedar Rapids flood infrastructure Friday morning with Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, city officials said they plan to seek $50 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bridge Investment Program to fund reconstruction of the Eighth Avenue bridge over the Cedar River.

The bridge project is a key component of the flood control system that would provide a lifeline connection for residents and emergency services during extreme flooding, like the devastating 2008 flood event. Its replacement is necessary to get the entire flood control system permitted.

The Bridge Investment Program was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Ernst voted against the bill, but Republican Chuck Grassley, Iowa’s senior senator, was among 19 Senate Republicans who joined all 50 Democrats in voting for the legislation.

Grassley has said the infrastructure investments would “pay dividends for generations to come,” while Ernst opposed adding to the federal debt. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the proposal would add $256 billion to projected deficits.

Cedar Rapids once again did not receive $22 million requested for the Eighth Avenue bridge project in the latest round of federal RAISE, or “Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity,” grant allocations.

Rob Davis, Cedar Rapids’ flood control program manager, said the city has included costs for construction management and tried to account for inflation in its $50 million Bridge Investment Program application. The funds would cover two-thirds of the $75 million project cost, though Davis said the city will rerun cost estimates for that project in the near future and for the entire flood control system next year.

The City Council is slated to authorize submission of the grant application when it meets on Tuesday.

Ernst indicated she was surprised the RAISE funds were denied this time around, but vowed to make phone calls to press officials in Washington for funds from the Bridge Investment Program.

“We have so many great projects across Iowa,” Ernst said. “ … We’ll go back and have that conversation with (Secretary) Pete Buttigieg at the DOT, so we’ll keep pushing. I think it’s important to do that, continually advocate and be that squeaky wheel for Iowa projects that are really important. And this is really important for the community.”

With approximately one-fourth of Cedar Rapids’ $750 million permanent flood control system complete, city officials say they remain aggressive in seeking additional federal funds to accelerate construction and curb cost increases as inflation rises.

Most recently, Ernst, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, successfully incorporated language Cedar Rapids proposed in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act that city officials hope could unlock approximately $50 million for east side flood control work. The biannual packages authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water resources projects.

The language reconciles the Army Corps’ flood mitigation project with the flood control system master plan adopted by the Cedar Rapids City Council to enhance flood protections.

Army Corps of Engineers funds do not cover flood mitigation on the Cedar River’s west bank because of the Army Corps’ cost-benefit threshold. The cost of adding westside flood control was greater than the value of the buildings it would protect, according to the formula.

Ernst heard from officials with the city and Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, as well as some local business leaders and developers, who touted progress on the efforts to fortify Cedar Rapids against rising Cedar River waters after the 2008 flood. The business community representatives told Ernst the city’s work on flood infrastructure assured them their investments around the river in downtown and core districts would be protected.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said Cedar Rapids is taking the resources that the federal government has provided, supplemented by state and local dollars, to support flood protection on both sides of the river.

“We do need additional resources and the senator’s very aware of that,” Pomeranz said, adding he appreciated the congressional delegation’s work to secure more dollars for flood control.

Ernst said important projects are “really being shorted because of the cost of construction material, labor cost, fuel costs.” On the heels of President Joe Biden signing into law the Democrat-backed Inflation Reduction Act, which narrowly passed Congress along party lines, Ernst, among the Republicans who unanimously voted against the bill, said dollars should be committed to current projects such as Cedar Rapids flood control instead of going toward new endeavors.

Local officials pointed out to Ernst progress on downtown area flood mitigation projects. That included the removable Third Avenue flood gates and Tree of Five Seasons park, where the Army Corps intends to go out for bid to add removable gates across Second Avenue, a flood wall at the Tree of Five Seasons and roller gates underneath I-380 on the east side.

On the west side, city officials highlighted the McGrath Amphitheatre flood wall and 16th Avenue roller gates that are anchored by gateway arches into Czech Village and New Bohemia.

Ernst said she was looking at the gateway arches instead of the flood wall as she and her staff drove into Czech Village, which seemed to please city staff who aim to incorporate amenities into flood infrastructure — hiding flood protection in plain sight.

“It worked,” Ernst told staff.

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