DES MOINES, IA — The ending of the fiscal year signaled a record level of investment in roads and bridges based on projects awarded through the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT). Since July 1, 2022, Iowa DOT awarded over $1.47 billion across 839 projects to improve mobility for travelers throughout the state and to increase the safety of roads and bridges at the city, county, and state levels.

Fiscal year 2023 investments awarded through Iowa DOT include:

• $274.5 million in the farm-to-market system
• $358 million in the interstate system
• $26.8 million in the secondary system
• $136.8 million in urban roads and bridges

“The need for investment in Iowa’s roadways grows. Traffic volumes have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. In addition, the cost to construct roads and bridges has continued to increase significantly over the last year,” said Iowa DOT Director Scott Marler. “I applaud the cities, counties, and Iowa’s road and bridge contractors for their amazing work to strengthen our state’s economy and improve our transportation system.”

Significant investments in bridges have been made across all levels of government. Looking at DOT-owned bridges alone, over the last 17 years, the number of poor-condition bridges has dropped from 256 in 2006 to 26 in 2023. While progress has been made in reducing the number of poor-condition bridges across Iowa, there are still many poor-condition bridges, especially on Iowa’s county road system.

Iowa’s counties continue to invest and prioritize funds for bridge repair and replacement and to seek new opportunities for additional funding. Last month, through a nine-county cooperative application, a federal discretionary grant of almost $25 million was awarded to replace nine bridges.