Questions and Answers

Q: What were the results of the hierarchy of needs analysis?

A: The following graphic compares the 20-year needs with projected revenues.

The three highest priority categories of needs (i.e., categories 1, 2 and 3) cover maintenance, preservation and high return-on-investment needs.

The estimate of future revenues will allow all category 1 needs (maintenance and administration) and most category 2 needs (resurface high-volume roads, repair/replace structurally deficient bridges on high-volume roads and reconstruct very high-volume roads with poor pavement) to be met.

To address the remaining unfunded category 2 needs would require approximately $2 billion in additional revenue over 20 years for an average of about $100 million per year.

To stop deteriorating pavement and bridge conditions in Iowa, and to begin to address capacity and corridor improvements on the interstate and CIN, requires that the most critical category 3 (resurfacing low-volume roads; repair/replacement of structurally deficient bridges on low-volume roads; repair/replacement of functionally obsolete bridges on high-volume roads; reconstruction of high-volume roads with poor pavement; and capacity improvements on high-volume and CIN roads) needs be met. To meet the most critical needs within category 3 an additional $100 million in funding will be needed annually. To fully fund category 3, an additional $12.699 billion in revenue over the 20 years will be required.

The complete the lower priority categories (i.e., categories 4, 5 and 6) an additional $13.006 billion would be needed over the 20-year period. Category 4 addresses all remaining capacity improvements, repair/replacement of functionally obsolete bridges on moderate-volume roads and reconstruction of moderate-volume roads with poor pavement. Category 5 includes repair/replacement of all remaining functionally obsolete bridges and reconstruction of all remaining roads with poor pavement. Category 6 includes all remaining roads with geometric deficiencies.

Note: The assignment of needs to these categories does not mean that all jurisdictions make funding decisions in this order, but rather this is intended to prioritize in a general manner the needs that exist in Iowa.