Small, vital step

After years of waiting, the Iowa Department of Transportation Commission finally delivered some good news to advocates of extending Highway 100 on Cedar Rapids' northwest side.

The commission voted to include $4.3 million for a portion of the project in its massive

$3 billion five-year highway construction plan.

Much of the Highway 100 money, $3.5 million, will be used to buy land from Covington to Edgewood Road, with the rest slated for mitigating the environmental impact of the project on nearby wetlands. The money will be spent in budget years 2012 and 2013.

It's a small step, certainly. The completed projects carries a $120 million price tag. But it's still a milestone for development leaders and local government officials who have been lobbying hard to get Highway 100 back on the state's to-do list. The city of Cedar Rapids kicked in $2.9 million as evidence of local commitment.

Development aims and traffic congestion on Interstate 380 have kept the project a top priority locally, even while the state sent dollars elsewhere.

Getting any transportation need off the bureaucratic back burner is tough. We're hopeful that once the state puts resources into the project, more money and momentum will follow. This “foot-in-the-door” money is a sign that Highway 100's extension will someday be more than lines on a map.