Highway 20 project tapped for initial Iowa gas tax funds

Iowa transportation leaders want to direct most of the early proceeds from a 10-cent gas tax increase to central and western Iowa, including fast tracking a Highway 20 project in the northwest part of the state.

While some had hoped Highway 30 in Benton and Tama Counties might get moved up, Gov. Terry Branstad had said after approving the gas tax increase last month he expected finishing the widening of Highway 20 to advance up the priority list. Iowa Department of Transportation officials said the decades old project, which was not on the five-year plan, had more preliminary work completed than other big projects on the docket, and cited poor road conditions and its importance in the freight shipping network.

'In terms of project readiness, Highway 20 has more ability to add in and see quick results,” Stuart Anderson, Iowa DOT director of planning, programming, and model division, said during an Iowa Transportation Commission meeting in Ames on Monday.

Officials from the Iowa DOT and Iowa Transportation Commission were keen on showing the public quickly what they were getting for first gas tax increase in 25 years. DOT officials said Highway 20 can be completed in three years, which is speedy for a $200 million-plus project.

'It was hard work getting this in there, we should show the citizens of Iowa what we are doing with it,” said commission chairman David Rose of Clinton.

Anderson said projects would need to be planned by the end of the month and bid out to contractors by June in order to be included in this coming construction season.

Highway 20 would be included in a proposed budget amendment to spend the extra $33.2 million from the gas tax. The commission will consider approving it when it meets for a regular meeting today in Ames. The commission and DOT also will continue discussion on the next five-year highway program, which is typically how the DOT plans.

The amendment calls for $4.5 million to buy land in Ida County for 20, $9.1 million for pavement work on Interstate 680 in Pottawattamie County, and $6 million for pavement work on I-80 and I-35 in Polk County. The eastern most project in the amendment is $1.5 million for I-80 interchange work in Iowa County, and $3 million would be split among six DOT district offices for local use.

Amy Reasner, a commissioner and attorney from Cedar Rapids, said geographical equity in the amendment is not a concern given the short time table to craft a plan and because the five-year plan has projects around the state.

'Part of what drives this is what is available, what is ready,” she said.

Leaders will discuss how to use subsequent years of additional revenue from the gas tax as part of the five-year plan discussion today.

Rose urged the DOT to consider options for speeding up other projects, specifically widening Highway 30 in Tama and Benton Counties and 61 in Des Moines County.

'I am concern we have Benton County out there 10 years,” Rose said. 'That is not acceptable. That is a long way away.”

At this point in planning, work on Highway 30 west of Cedar Rapids would begin in 2019 with completion in 2025.