Lawmakers shine a welcome light on local bridge repair efforts

State lawmakers managed to bridge their usual partisan differences this week and send a welcome piece of legislation to Gov. Terry Branstad's desk.

It didn't get much attention, but our representatives and senators approved a bill requiring county engineers to present an annual report detailing how road use tax fund dollars are being used to address structurally deficient bridges. The final version of the bill cleared the House 96-0 and the Senate 49-0.

Last year, when we supported a 10-cent increase in the per-gallon fuel tax to pay for a mounting backlog of road repair projects, we called for transparency in how the funds would be spent. If Iowans are being asked to pay more, it makes sense for state and local officials to explain what we're getting for our money.

And the poor condition of Iowa's bridges was a major selling point cited by backers of a tax increase. One pro-tax group, the Iowa Good Roads Association, even ran a controversial TV ad depicting a busload of school children falling through a structurally failing bridge. So Iowans deserve to know whether the tax increase really is addressing the state's bridge problem.

And it is a troubling issue. The American Road and Transportation Builders Association's 2016 assessment ranked Iowa No. 1 among states in the number of structurally deficient bridges. Citing federal statistics, it reported 5,025 of Iowa's 24,242 bridges are 'structurally deficient,” meaning one or more key bridge elements, the deck, superstructure or substructure, are in 'poor” or worse condition.

Many of those bridges are in rural areas on lightly traveled routes, but a few, according to the report, are on much busier roads and highways. The condition of Iowa's bridges is a top infrastructure safety issue in Iowa, and Iowans deserve to know what's being done to address the problem.

The bill is not perfect, however. Curiously, senators adopted an amendment to the bill sun-setting the requirement in 2019. The House accepted the change.

Considering the large scope of Iowa's bridge issues, we see no reason to stop reporting local progress in 2019. Sun-setting state mandates on counties is a good idea in general, but a three-year window in this case closes far too soon. A future Legislature should extend the requirement.

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