Iowa flags flood system, interstate work among priorities for Trump

As the transition team for President-elect Donald Trump's administration fashions what it calls a $1 trillion infrastructure plan, states including Iowa are being asked to list their most crucial projects.

In response, the Governor's Office here has submitted needs for federal assistance that include Cedar Rapids' $630 million flood mitigation project and the state's $270 million overhaul of the Interstate 80/Interstate 380 interchange.

Ben Hammes, spokesman for the Governor's Office, said it's yet to be seen what Trump's infrastructure budget looks like, but added it's encouraging to know his administration is seeking input from states.

'They obviously have an intent to come up with a large infrastructure program or investment of some sort. We don't know what that is, but they're obviously looking to invest in states and their infrastructure projects,” Hammes said. 'The assumption would be that federal funding would come with that, absolutely.”

The state compiled the list - through collaboration with local officials and those in the state's Department of Transportation, Economic Development Authority, Homeland Security and the Department of Natural Resources - following a request for priorities from the Trump-Pence Administration's transition team.

Trump's infrastructure plan has been described as spending $1 trillion on projects over 10 years. He campaigned on the ideas of granting tax credits for private investment in infrastructure as well as setting tax rates attractive enough to lure back some of the trillions companies have stashed overseas to avoid U.S. taxes.

Per the request, submissions for projects needed to be considered important for national security or public safety; on the path to shovel-ready with at least 30 percent of design and engineering work completed; and direct job creators, Hammes said.

Iowa's list prioritizes the five projects in the following order:

' Upper Mississippi River locks and dams modernization

' Lewis and Clark Regional Water System

' Cedar Rapids flood mitigation project

' Interstates 80/380 interchange

' Des Moines International Airport terminal modernization

For the Cedar Rapids flood mitigation, the state recommended $230 million in federal funds toward levee construction, permanent and demountable walls, flood gates and other mitigation efforts. Those funds would go toward the city's nearly $630 million project, formed after the 2008 flood.

The report cites the nearly 3-year-old Water Resources Reform and Development Act, which was passed in 2014 but never funded. Legislation signed by President Barack Obama in December urged the Army Corps of Engineers to help fund the Cedar Rapids effort.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett said it's encouraging to see the city project listed as a state priority, but added it's far from just a Cedar Rapids effort.

According to the Corps, the 2008 flood caused $2.5 billion in damage and $2.5 billion in economic loss in the city. Local, state and federal dollars went into the rebuilding process.

'This isn't just about Cedar Rapids. It's about the state and federal government protecting their interests also,” he said.

Another project on the list, the $270 million I-80/I-380 interchange, already is slated to receive the usual federal investment of 80 percent of cost, but expedited funding could advance the project's first construction phase on Forevergreen Road, which currently is set to see bids let this fall.

Cathy Cutler, transportation planner with the Iowa DOT's District 6, said the interchange project not only meets all the requirements established by the transition team, but also has major economic implications for the entire country.

'You can't get more nationwide than Interstate 80 - it goes across the entire country,” she said.

In addition to the five Iowa priorities, the state also identified broader program areas that would benefit from national prioritization.

Those include support of flood mitigation and nutrient mitigation initiatives, advancing disaster mitigation projects, expanding broadband access and modernizing the electric grid.

The report also identifies federal policy decisions that would advance the state's private sector infrastructure, including approval of the Dakota Access Bakken pipeline and maintaining the wind energy production tax credit and Renewable Fuel Standard, according to the report.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com