Iowa transportation officials seek economic stimulus money

Iowa transportation officials are seeking federal help to complete a dozen highway and rail projects using economic stimulus money.

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Friday it has begun submitting applications seeking $440.2 million in highway projects and nearly $109 million in funding for rail projects. The funds are available under the federal DOT's $1.5 billion in discretionary grants for surface transportation projects.

Applications are due by Tuesday. The maximum amount any one state can receive is $300 million.

Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that have “a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area and can create jobs and benefit economically distressed areas,” according to the federal transportation agency.

“These grants are just one more way we can work with the federal government to improve our infrastructure, put Iowans back to work, and move our state forward,” said Gov. Chet Culver.

Highway project grant applications were submitted for the following:

1) $45.5 million grant application to build a four-lane divided highway to bypass Fort Madison via U.S. 61 in Lee County;

2) $143.4 million joint application between Iowa and Nebraska to relocate U.S. 34 in Iowa from Interstate 29 to U.S. 75 in Nebraska, including a new bridge over the Missouri River; also included is the reconstruction of U.S. 75 in Nebraska from the new connection of U.S. 34 with U.S. 75 north to Fairview Road and upgrading the I-29/U.S. 34 interchange;

3) $126 million joint application between Iowa and Illinois to build approach span piers for the proposed Mississippi River bridges as part of an overall plan to reconstruct I-74 from one mile north of 53rd St. in Davenport to 23rd Avenue in Moline, Ill.

4) $41.1 million grant application to rebuild and widen I-80 to three lanes each direction from the Iowa River bridge east to 1.5 miles east of the Iowa 1 interchange in Iowa City; the project also includes redesign of the westbound entrance ramp at the Dubuque Street interchange;

5) $23.8 million grant to construct a four-lane, divided highway and bypass on U.S. 30 around the cities of Toledo and Tama in Tama County;

6) $34 million to rebuild and widen I-29 to three lanes each direction from just west of the Hamilton Boulevard interchange to the Big Sioux River at the South Dakota state line.

7) $26.4 million to replace the existing Broadway viaduct on U.S. 6 in Council Bluffs.

Railroad infrastructure applications will be submitted for these projects:

1) $25 million to help finance a $124 million project to replace the approach spans on both sides of a new lift span on the BNSF Railway's Mississippi River bridge;

2) $7 million for the addition of two 9,800-foot tracks to accommodate full-unit trains in preparation for an expansion at the Archer Daniels Midland facility that will increase rail traffic up to 40,000 cars annually for the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co.

3) $19.9 million to rehabilitate certain bridges and rail line Iowa Northern Railway Co. segments between Cedar Rapids and Manly to meet or exceed current industry engineering, safety and operating standards.

4) $24 million to assist in financing a $48 million project to remove physical impediments and add capacity so that wind energy components may be shipped on the Union Pacific Railroad Co. track segment from Missouri through Des Moines.

5) $33 million to help fund a planned $66 million project to relocate a Union Pacific Railroad Co. crew change facility near the Mississippi River bridge at Clinton to a rural area near Low Moor as the first step in preparation for a new, higher elevation clear-span bridge that will replace the outdated swing span bridge in the future.