IOWA, USA — Iowa is leading America's rural transportation system crisis, according to a new report from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit.
The report, Rural Connections: Examining the Safety, Connectivity, Condition and Funding Needs of America’s Rural Roads & Bridges, evaluates the safety and condition of the nation’s rural roads and bridges. It found that immediate improvements are needed across the country to address deficient bridges and roads, high crash rates and inadequate connectivity.
21% of Iowa's rural bridges are found to be rated in poor/structurally deficient condition. That's 1 in 5 of the state's rural bridges, which is the highest rate in the nation.
Illinois is ranked 12th worst on the list, with 9% of rural bridges earning the poor/structurally deficient rating.
For a bridge to receive this rating, there must be significant deterioration. Often, these bridges are posted for lower weight or even closed to traffic all together. This can cause headaches and delays for larger vehicles, including agricultural equipment, school buses, commercial trucks and emergency service vehicles.
5% of Iowa's rural roads are rated poor, and 14% are in mediocre condition. Rural roads are more likely to have narrow lanes, sharp curves, limited shoulders, pavement drop-offs, exposed hazards, steep slopes and limited clear zones along roadsides, the report found.
The traffic fatality rate on the state's rural, non-Interstate roads in 2022 was more than double the fatality rate on all other roads in the state. TRIP found 212 fatalities on Iowa's non-Interstate, rural roads in 2022.
The report also pointed out that rural Americans are more reliant on the quality of their transportation system than those living in urban areas. In fact, vehicle travel in rural communities is an average of 50% higher than in cities.
Earlier this year, the United States Department of Transportation told Congress that the country needs $198 billion to repair and improve the nation's rural roads, highways and bridges. That money includes $53 billion for needed rural bridge rehabilitation.
The Biden administration's 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated $454 billion from 2022 to 2026 for highway and transit investments. This includes $2 billion for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program.
TRIP is a nonprofit that researches and distributes data on a variety of transportation issues.
Tune into The Current from 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays to catch live interviews impacting you, your family and your hometown as well as all of the biggest headlines of the day.