News Release

Iowa roadway needs far exceed expected revenue

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa Transportation Commission today approved the 2007-2011 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program. Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) officials reported the highway portion accounts for approximately $2 billion in programmed projects. These projects address many of the most urgent transportation needs in the state, but due to limited funding, many other needed projects have been delayed or deferred.

Iowa DOT Director Nancy Richardson says, “DOT staff have consistently worked to identify critical needs in Iowa 's primary highway system. Our highways are aging and in need of attention. Additional capacity is needed in many parts of our state. Because these needs outweigh available funding, many difficult choices were made in the process of developing the five-year Iowa Transportation Improvement Program.”

On the nearly 9,400 mile primary system under the charge of the DOT, pavement conditions are typically evaluated by measuring the number of miles of pavement that are below a defined acceptable level. When a pavement falls below an ‘acceptable level' it is considered deficient and it is necessary to consider improvements to the pavement in the near future. From 1999 to 2005 the miles of deficient pavements on the primary road system increased from 1,968 to 2,836, an increase of 44 percent. This means that more than one-fourth of all primary road system pavements have a condition below an acceptable level. The 44 percent increase in deficient pavements from 1999 to 2005 represents an increase in primary road system pavement rehabilitation needs of $366 million on top of all the existing needs. As needs continue to increase and improvements are delayed, the cost to recover grows dramatically.

Many portions of the interstate system are strained to capacity, leading to congestion, affecting air quality, and dampening economic activity. This is not surprising since much of the interstate was built 50 years ago to accommodate 20 years of traffic growth. By 1985, half of the system had reached its design life. By 1995, 90 percent of the system had been in existence 20 years or more.

On the primary road system the number of bridges in need of structural repair has increased during the 1999 to 2005 time period from 171 to 256, an increase of 50 percent. The 50 percent increase in structurally deficient bridges results in a need of $136 million in bridge rehabilitation and reconstruction in addition to the existing bridge needs on the primary system.

Investments in the public roadway system support the economy through 1) direct job creation through construction activities, 2) indirect job creation through support of economic development and accessibility to jobs for Iowans, and 3) productivity gains by Iowa businesses. Iowa supports a sizable road construction industry. In order to support and grow that industry, investment in Iowa 's public roadway system must keep pace and grow. Recent studies show that every $1 billion in highway investment creates 8,400 full-time construction jobs, supports 20,900 jobs by material purchase, and supports 15,400 jobs by industries and businesses that use the system. Furthermore, public investments in the roadway system have an almost immediate impact in realizing associated economic benefits.

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