Transportation

Iowa outpaces all other states with the highest number of bridges classified as being in poor condition, but the Iowa Department of Transportation’s work over the past 15 years to decrease the number of poor-rated bridges has led to big improvements for state-owned bridges.

The city of Cedar Rapids is looking to center citizen feedback in future conversations around active transportation through the creation of a new city commission.

The state’s five-year plan for transportation infrastructure features billions of dollars in planned investments in Iowa road, bridge, aviation and railway infrastructure, construction and repair projects.

Iowa City’s Burlington Street Bridge is crossed by nearly 19,000 vehicles each day. But it is deteriorating. A 2021 report described the structure as being in “poor” condition and “structurally deficient.” City leaders are working with the University of Iowa and Iowa DOT to plan for replacement of the structure, work that could begin by 2028 or 2029.

The 10-week program will explore transportation planning and develop solutions to local transportation challenges. Registration to participate -- for free -- is now open.

To mark the start of Earth Month, Cedar Rapids Transit will not charge a fare Tuesday to ride a city bus.

Produced in partnership with the Iowa Engineering Society, E-Week is an annual celebration of engineering and all that it, and engineers, contribute to our world. The Gazette's E-Week showcases a variety of engineering topics.

Cari Pauli and her colleagues in the traffic engineering division of the public works department conduct studies on traffic flow around the city as part of their ongoing quest for safer, better transportation.