Alton, Iowa (RI) — Administrators at the Iowa Department of Transportation say they’re cutting the budget for the next fiscal year as well as save on building construction and equipment, with part of those savings coming from a project right here in Sioux County.
The DOT’s Melissa Gillette says the major construction item is a new maintenance garage in Alton.
Gillette told the Transportation Commission the new garage will provide much more space.
She says the budget is $4.9 million less than the last new garage the DOT built.
Gillette says they are making some changes that will allow the DOT to save millions of dollars in the budget for the equipment that is maintained at the state garages.
Gillette says they started looking at their plow configurations after the pandemic and have dramatically reduced them to help save costs.
She says this has helped with the supply chain issues, as they don’t need as many different types of truck setups. Gillette says they also cut 33 light vehicles from their fleet, and the total equipment savings will be $14.6 million.
KIWA Staff Photo
