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Iowa drivers can expect more construction on the roads

It has been nearly four months since Iowa passed and signed a bill that increased the gas tax by 10 cents. As of June 10, 2015, state and county officials have ...

It has been nearly four months since Iowa passed and signed a bill that increased the gas tax by 10 cents. As of June 10, 2015, state and county officials have began planning to allocate the extra $501 million the tax is expected to generate over the next five years.

On Tuesday, June 9, the Scott County Board of Supervisors traveled the county's roads, surveying which roads and bridges need the most work.

"We used to try and do a bridge a year, but because of the cuts, we had to do a road one year and a bridge the other year. We were falling behind," said Tom Sunderbruch, Chair of the Scott County Board of Supervisors.

"The new gas tax will allow us to get back on schedule and do some preventative maintenance, which is very important," Sunderbruch added.

For the upcoming year, Scott County will spend $500,000 on road and bridge construction, allowing the county more money than previous years. Of the 115 bridges in the county, five are in need of work, Sunderbruch said. At the top of the list is a bridge just north of Princeton, Illinois.

"It's not a danger for the vehicles going over it, but two vehicles can't pass at the same time and that needs to be done," Sunderbruch explained.

Updates to the bridge are expected to be completed by September, 2015.

On Tuesday, June 9, 2015, the Iowa Transportation Commission approved record spending on the state's highways over the next five years. Under the plan, the state would spend $3.2 billion between fiscal year 2016-2020, with half of those dollars stemming from the federal dollars, which is not yet guaranteed. The plan would allocate $1.3 billion to modernize and improve safety on the existing highway system, and $364 million for widening highway corridors.

Under the plan, funding would still be provided for the I-74 project.

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