Engineering Study for the Evaluation of Public Road Administration and Maintenance Alternatives, HR-265, 1985

Iowa's public road system of 112,000 miles is one of the largest and the best in the nation. It represents a considerable financial investment of taxpayer revenues over the years. And, it requires a sustained investment to preserve an economical level of transport service into the future. In 1982, a Governor's Blue Ribbon Transportation Task Force evaluated the effectiveness of Iowa's entire transportation system. Four important Task Force recommendations dealt with public road administrative issues in Iowa. These issues were related to: (1) Design criteria and levels of maintenance; (2) Consistency in the use of standards among jurisdictions; (3) Consolidation of maintenance operations at one jurisdiction level; and (4) Jurisdicational authority for roads; The issues formed the background for Research Project HR-265.