Ames, Iowa — The state Transportation Commission has approved the first draft of its updated five-year transportation plan.
The plan includes an estimated three-point-six billion dollars for road construction and improvement, which the D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says includes some ongoing projects.
In our area, the plan includes estimated costs for the Highway 75 improvement project in Sioux Center. The estimates listed are $4.3 million in 2022, and $18.95 million in 2023 to grade and pave the highway. In the next five years, the plan lists an additional $2.7 million for bridges and right-of-way elsewhere in Sioux County; $3.2 million for bridges, pavement, and patching in O’Brien County, $895,000 for bridges in Osceola County, and $1.7 million for grading, paving, and bridges in Lyon County.
It also includes continuing work on the I-80/380 interchange west of Iowa City.
He says work will continue on expanding I-35 to six lanes from Polk County to Story County and Ames. The five-year plan is updated and new projects are approved in June. One new project ties into the work near Iowa City.
The pandemic has caused delays in getting products and increased the prices of a lot of construction materials. Anderson says that hasn’t been an issue for roads yet.
He says they don’t know how long supply chain issues will last and if they will eventually hit road construction.
Anderson says the road use tax funding fell off at the start of the pandemic, but that has rebounded and they’ve also gotten federal pandemic funds to help with any deficits.
