Tag: Iowa DOT: Page 3

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT’s Cedar Rapids intermodal facility gets FASTLANE green light

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has been awarded $25.65 million from the FASTLANE grant program to build an intermodal transportation facility in Cedar Rapids. The total project cost is estimated at $46.5 million, and the remainder of the funds will come from the private sector led by Alliant Energy Transportation. “The facility directly […]

July 12, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT says lack of funding responsible for No. 1 ranking in deficient bridges

A 2016 report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association ranked Iowa no. 1 in the country for structurally deficient bridges. Of the approximately 5,000 deficient bridges in the state, approximately 400 of them are closed. “Funding is the main issue, you know,” Scott Neubauer with the Iowa Department of Transportation told KCCI TV. “The locals need more money […]

June 28, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa Transportation Commission approves 2017-2021 improvement program

The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved its 2017-2021 Improvement Program, making roughly $3.5 billion available for highway right-of-way construction and $1.2 billion for work on state bridges. Fiscal year 2017 has right-of-way construction forecast at $728 million, FY 2018 at $724.5 million, FY 2019 at 713.3 million, FY 2020 at $695.9 million and FY 2021 at […]

June 17, 2016

Roadbuilding

Preservation programs grow as state DOTs battle challenging bridge conditions

The truth is, while there are still a relatively large number of structurally deficient bridges across the country, roughly 58,500, that figure has dropped in recent years. It’s still not good, as the American Road & Transportation Builder’s Association estimates with current funding levels, it would take 21 years to replace or upgrade all those […]

May 19, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT proposes $3.5 billion, 5-year construction plan

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has proposed a $3.5 billion, five-year construction plan to maintain and upgrade the state’s 8,871 miles of state and federal highways and 4,103 bridges, the Des Moines Register reports. More than $1.6 billion is scheduled for stewardship programs—including safety, maintenance, and modernizing the existing road system—and $1.2 billion will be spent […]

May 17, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT budget finalized at $4.85 below request; may impact staffing

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s budget was finalized by state legislators, providing only half ($4.85 million) of an extra $9.7 million the agency requested. The increase was requested in order to help cover staffing costs related to pay increases, state employee insurance, and collective bargaining agreements, according to a report by the Des Moines Register. […]

May 5, 2016

Roadbuilding

How Norris Asphalt and the Iowa DOT won NAPA’s Sheldon G. Hayes Award for excellence in asphalt pavement

Norris Asphalt Paving and the Iowa Department of Transportation have received the 2015 Sheldon G. Hayes Award, the annual honor given by the National Asphalt Pavement Association to the highest quality asphalt pavement in the country. During NAPA’s annual meeting in La Quinta, California, the two entities were recognized for work on a 15-mile stretch […]

February 12, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT first in U.S. to test sensors that detect, warn drivers of icy road conditions

A staffer for Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson died after a wreck on an icy Iowa road last week, but the state is testing a new tool that could help to curtail similar wrecks in the future. KCCI reported the Iowa Department of Transportation is the first DOT in the country to test a new warning system called […]

January 26, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT looking for 2016 Urban Youth Corps program sponsors

The Iowa Department of Transportation is in search of non-profit agencies and organizations to sponsor its 2016 Urban Youth Corps program that provides transportation-related work projects and training to young people ages 16 to 21 who “face barriers” to employment. Program projects are funded for up to a five-month period between May 1 and Sept. […]

January 25, 2016

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT seeks $9.7 million to avoid losing even more staff members

The Iowa Department of Transportation has lost 500 employees since 2011, and the department is asking for $9.7 million to prevent things from getting even more out of hand. The Gazette has reported that Iowa DOT Director Paul Trombino said the funds are need to help keep the department stabilized. Trombino said the state Legislature […]

January 15, 2016

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Car Wars: Iowa DOT uses ‘the Force’ to send a safety message to drivers (PHOTOS)

Han Solo might have told Iowa not to get cocky when it made news a year ago with the creative messages displayed on the state’s electric highway signs, but the Force is strong with these. The Huffington Post reported that the Iowa Department of Transportation has continued its “Message Monday” campaign with the electric highway […]

December 15, 2015

Roadbuilding

Iowa DOT workers begin testing digital driver’s license app

Upwards of 100 workers from the Iowa Department of Transportation have become among the first in the nation to test out digital driver’s licenses. KCRG reported the workers will get a trial of the new app-based digital license on their state-issued smartphones over 90 days to see if they might be a viable replacement to the old […]

August 31, 2015