DOT adds 20 highway and bridge projects worth $72 million for 2015

AMES - Transportation projects in Linn, Washington and Benton counties are among 20 being added to the slate for 2015, as part of an amendment to the Iowa Department of Transportation 2015-19 highway program.

The Iowa Transportation Commission approved 20 additional projects worth more than $71.6 million during a regular meeting on Tuesday.

With uncertainty surrounding transportation funding, the department has planned conservatively for its docket of upgrades for roads and bridges around the state. For the past five years, there's been extra money at the end of the year which has allowed additional projects, said Stuart Anderson, director of the Iowa DOT's planning, programming and modal division.

'This is a product of funding uncertainty that's out there and conservative programming,” Anderson said.

The majority of new projects are pavement upgrades on highways.

This includes $6.5 million to improve U.S. 218 in Benton County from U.S. 30 to Iowa 150. Linn County will be seeing pavement rehabilitation work. Iowa 13 from north of Central City to Delaware County will get $500,000, and several locations along Iowa 100 and Iowa 922 in Cedar Rapids will be included in an $800,000 project.

The commission approved $2.7 million to replace a bridge over the west fork of Crooked Creek, about 1.3 miles south of Iowa 92 in Washington County.

The pavement projects hadn't previously been penciled in on the 2015-19 highway plan, while the bridge replacement was scheduled for 2017.

One project was removed from the plan as well. That was a $500,000 grade and pave project on Iowa 136 from First Avenue in Cascade. That could get brought back in the future, Anderson said.

The program was under budget by $69 million. The additional slate approved actually goes over budget by about $2.7 million

Anderson said being over budget by a small percentage is actually good in this case because portions of projects often get delayed or savings are found elsewhere.

'It's a little more than what was available, but it's a really small percentage and not a concern,” he said.