AMES, Iowa (AP) — Transportation officials say an increase in Iowa’s fuel tax will help support a five-year plan to improve roads and bridges in the state.
The state Department of Transportation submitted a $3.2 billion proposal to an agency commission Tuesday. The commission will meet in June.
A draft report of the plan states money from a law that increased Iowa’s fuel tax by 10 cents per gallon in March will be used “100 percent” on critical road and bridge construction projects. It also pledges to use some of that money for four-lane construction on parts of U.S. Highways 20, 30 and 61. The report acknowledges those projects aren’t for repair or rehabilitation, but a DOT spokeswoman says they fill critical infrastructure needs.
The plan covers a period from July through 2020.
