With infrastructure funding stalled in Congress, a growing number of states are stepping up to develop their own plans for paying for road and bridge projects.
Two states that have recently focused on infrastructure funding are New York and Iowa.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that an additional $125 billion would go toward infrastructure investment over the next five years. That builds on Cuomo’s existing $100 billion infrastructure initiative and will include state and federal funds as well as private sector capital.
“From building bridges to revitalizing our subway and rail systems, we have invested more in our infrastructure than any other administration, and now we must take the next step forward with an additional $125 billion commitment,” Cuomo said. “These efforts will improve travel and transportation, strengthen regional economies and increase our state’s competitiveness, and make New York stronger and more resilient for future generations.”
In Iowa, the state Department of Transportation presented a draft of the $3.4 billion 2019-23 Transportation Improvement Program to the state Transportation Commission, which crafts transportation policy and identifies transportation needs.
The plan will fund interstate reconstruction projects in the western part of the state, according to Stuart Anderson, director of Iowa DOT’s Planning, Programming and Modal Division.
“Probably, the most significant projects on the interstate right now are modernization projects,” Anderson said. “(We’re) totally reconstructing the interstate systems in Council Bluffs and Sioux City to meet modern design standards to address increased traffic.”
Iowa DOT’s construction projects extend beyond interstates to include such plans as finishing widening U.S. Route 20 across the state this year, a project that has been on the books for decades, Anderson said.
Route 20 runs from Oregon to Massachusetts and bisects Iowa.
