Iowa sets record investment in road projects in last budget year

DES MOINES — A state record of nearly $1.5 billion was invested in Iowa’s roads in the state budget year that ended last month, the Iowa Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

The recent road funding surpassed the nearly $1.3 billion devoted to road projects in the 2016-2017 state budget year, according to Iowa DOT figures.

Iowa DOT Director Scott Marler said in a news release Wednesday that the need for investment in Iowa’s road systems continues to grow as traffic volumes have increased, as have the costs of road and bridge construction projects over the past year.

“I applaud the cities, counties, and Iowa’s road and bridge contractors for their amazing work to strengthen our state’s economy and improve our transportation system,” he said in a statement.

Among other road construction spending across the state, some of the investments included the ongoing reconstruction of the Interstate 80/Interstate 380 interchange in Johnson County and construction of a Tower Terrace interchange with I-380 in Linn County, which opened to traffic last month.

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The $1.47 billion dedicated to road projects in the 2022-2023 state budget year that ended June 30 was a 16 percent increase over the previous year, according to state data. That matches the largest year-to-year rate of increase since a 20 percent bump in the 2016-2017 state budget year.

That spike came on the heels of a 10 percent increase in the state’s gas tax, which was approved by state lawmakers and signed into law by then-Gov. Terry Branstad in 2015.

The most recent increase comes on the heels of a boost in federal infrastructure funding passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.

Stuart Anderson, director of the Iowa DOT’s transportation development division, said while determining a precise financial impact is difficult, the department estimates an additional $100 million or more in the 2022-2023 state budget year was the result of increased federal funding through the infrastructure bill.

Thanks to continued growth in the state’s gas tax fund and continued implementation of the federal infrastructure funding boost, road funding could set another record high again in the current state budget year, Anderson said.

“A safe and reliable transportation system enhances the quality of life for all Iowans and is essential for keeping our nation’s economy moving and getting products to market — especially at a time of record high inflation,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement.

The increasing investments have helped sharply reduce the number of state-owned bridges across the state that are in poor condition, according to the Iowa DOT. The number of state-owned bridges in poor condition has dropped from 256 in 2006 to 26 in 2023, the department said.

However, Iowa continues to rank among the worst states in the country for number and rate of county-owned bridges in poor condition.

One in every five bridges in Iowa is rated poor, giving the state the worst ranking in the nation, according to the Report Card for America’s infrastructure, which is published annually by the American Society of Civil Engineers. All but 30 of Iowa’s 4,599 poor bridges are owned by cities and counties, according to the report.

Similar results were found in a report by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. In that report, Iowa has the highest number and second-highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the country.

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