2010- 2014 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program

The Iowa Transportation Improvement Program (Program) is published to inform Iowans of planned investments in our state’s transportation system. The Iowa Transportation Commission (Commission) and Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) are committed to programming those investments in a fiscally responsible manner. A major component of the 2010-2014 Program is the full integration of funding allocated to the Iowa DOT from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). To date, the Recovery Act has provided over $400 million of additional federal funding for transportation in Iowa, including funding that is allocated to local governments and entities. Recovery Act funding will result in a record year for transportation construction in Iowa and the creation and retention of jobs. Opportunities for additionalRecovery Act transportation funding remain and will be pursued as they becomeavailable. While Recovery Act funding will make a one-time significant impact in addressing Iowa’s backlog of needs, it is important to note that there remains a large shortfall in sustained annual transportation investment to meet Iowa’s current and future critical transportation needs. In recognition of this shortfall, Governor Culver introduced and the legislature passed an I-JOBS proposal. I-JOBS will result in an additional $50 million of state funding to reduce structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges on the primary road system and approximately $10 million in funding for other modes of transportation including $3 million of new funding to support the expansion of passenger rail service in Iowa. I-JOBS, and the continuing gradual increase in funding due to TIME-21, will complement and extend the benefits of Recovery Act funding and set the stage for addressing the shortfall in annual funding in the next few years. Iowa’s transportation system is multi-modal; therefore, the Program encompasses investments in aviation, transit, railroads, trails, and highways. A major component of the Program is the highway section. The FY2010-2014 highway section is financially balanced and was developed to achieve several objectives. The Commission’s primary highway investment objective is stewardship (i.e. safety, maintenance and preservation) of Iowa’s existing highway system. The highway section includes an annual average of $104 million for preserving the interstate system; an annual average of $78 million for non-interstate pavement preservation; an annual average of $36 million for non-interstate bridges; and an annual average of $14 million for safety projects. Another objective is to maintain the scheduled completion of interstate and non-interstate capacity and economic development projects that were identified in the previous Program and this Program does so. The final Commission objective is to further address capacity and economic development needs and the Commission has done so by adding several such projects to the Program. Construction improvements are partially funded through the current federal transportation act, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The act will expire September 30, 2009. With the expiration of SAFETEA-LU, there is significant uncertainty in the forecast of federal revenues in the out-years of this Program. The Commission and Iowa DOT will monitor federal actions closely and make adjustments to the Program as necessary. The Iowa DOT and Commission appreciate the public’s involvement in the state’s transportation planning process. Comments received personally, by letter, or through participation in the Commission’s regular meetings or public input meetings held around the state each year are invaluable in providing guidance for the future of Iowa’s transportation system. It should be noted that this document is a planning guide. It does not represent a binding commitment or obligation of the Commission or Iowa DOT, and is subject to change. You are invited to visit the Iowa DOT’s Web site at iowadot.gov for additional and regular updates about the department’s programs and activities.

Speed Limit Questions? Here’s Your Answer, July 6, 2005

Iowa’s speed regulations are based on the same basic speed law that is used in all 50 states: “Any person driving a motor vehicle on a highway shall drive the same at a careful and prudent speed not greater than nor less than is reasonable and proper, having due regard to the traffic, surface, and width of the highway and of any other conditions then existing, and no person shall drive any vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than will permit the person to bring it to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead, such driver having the right to assume, however, that all persons using said highway will observe the law.” Statutory limits are based on the concept that uniform categories of highways can be traveled safely at certain preset maximum speeds under ideal conditions. Whether the speed limit is posted or unposted, drivers should reduce their speed below these values in poor weather, heavy traffic, and under other potentially hazardous conditions.

Report to the Governor and General Assembly on the Status of Out-of School Arts Programming for Youth, December 2006

In the 2006 Iowa General Assembly, House File 2797 called for a study on the status of afterschool arts programs and appropriated $5,000 for the study. In accordance with the legislation, the Iowa Arts Council, who received the charge, contracted with the Iowa Afterschool Alliance to form a Resource Group of out-of-school arts providers and experts to develop and oversee the study, review its results, and make recommendations for the expansion of arts programs that operate outside the normal school day. As a part of its charge in HF 2797, the Iowa Arts Council also documented a sampling of out-of-school arts programs statewide. Five are featured in this report.

Speed Limit Questions? Here’s Your Answer, February 8, 2010

Iowa’s speed regulations are based on the same basic speed law that is used in all 50 states: “Any person driving a motor vehicle on a highway shall drive the same at a careful and prudent speed not greater than nor less than is reasonable and proper, having due regard to the traffic, surface, and width of the highway and of any other conditions then existing, and no person shall drive any vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than will permit the person to bring it to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead, such driver having the right to assume, however, that all persons using said highway will observe the law.” Statutory limits are based on the concept that uniform categories of highways can be traveled safely at certain preset maximum speeds under ideal conditions. Whether the speed limit is posted or unposted, drivers should reduce their speed below these values in poor weather, heavy traffic, and under other potentially hazardous conditions.

Improving Offender Programming, Data Download, Iowa Department of Corrections, June 2012

In 2008, the Iowa Department of Corrections embarked on a comprehensive audit of all institutional andcommunity corrections offender programs that receive corrections funding. The audit focused on the degree towhich each program adheres to evidence-based practices principles (what works best). The audit areas are listedbelow along with some examples of the questions asked about each program:

New Violence Risk Assessment Aids Parole and Offender Programming Decisions, Data Download, Department of Corrections

In recent years, the Department of Corrections has made major strides in assessing offenders’ risk to reoffend, particularly in measuring changes in that risk over time. Earlier this year, the DOC worked with the Board of Parole to develop a risk assessment that focuses on assessing offenders’ risk to commit violent crimes.

A Study of Portland Cement Maintenance Mix and Set Accelerators, R-249, 1970

The large volume of traffic on the interstate system makes it difficult to make pavement repairs. The maintenance crew needs 4-5 hours to break out the concrete to be replaced and prepare the hole for placing new concrete. Because of this it is usually noon before the patch can be placed. Since it is desirable to remove the barricades before dark there are only 7-8 hours for the concrete to reach the required strength. There exists a need for a concrete that can reach the necessary strength (modulus of rupture = 500 psi) in 7-8 hours. The purpose of this study is to determine if type III cement and/or an accelerator can be used in an M-4 mix to yield a fast setting patch with very little shrinkage. It is recognized that calcium chloride is a corrosive material and may therefore have detrimental effects upon the reinforcing steel. The study of these effects, however, is beyond the scope of this investigation.

Iowa Interstate Corridor Plan, 2013

The purpose of this Interstate Corridor Plan (plan) is to provide the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) with an initial screening and prioritization of interstate corridors/segments. This process evaluates the entire interstate system, independent of current financial constraints, using a select group of criteria weighted in terms of their relative significance. The resulting segments would then represent those areas that should be considered for further study (e.g., environmental, design, engineering), with the possibility of being considered for programming by the Iowa Transportation Commission. There was a dominant theme present in conversations with those department stakeholders who have a keen interest in the product of this planning effort. A statement that was often heard was that staff needed more information to help answer the question, “Where do we need to be looking to next, and when?” There was a strong desire to be able to use this plan to help populate that initial pool of candidate segments that would progress towards further study, as discussed below. It was this theme that framed the need for this plan and ultimately guided its development. Further study: As acknowledged at the beginning of this section, the product of this planning effort will be an initial screening and prioritization of interstate corridors/segments. While this initial screening will assist the Iowa DOT in identifying those areas that should be considered for further study, the plan will not identify specific projects or alternatives that could be directly considered as part of the programming process. Bridging the gap between this plan and the programming process are a variety of environmental, design, and engineering activities conducted by various Iowa DOT offices. It is these activities that will further refine the priority corridors/segments identified in this plan into candidate projects. In addition, should the evaluation process developed through this planning effort prove to be successful, it is possible that there will be additional applications, such as future primary system highway plans and statewide freight plans.

Metric Plan Reading Course, HR-324, 1997

This Plan Reading Course was developed by the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering of Iowa State University under contract with the Iowa Highway Research Board, Project HR-324. It is intended to be an instructional tool for Iowa DOT, county and municipal employees within the state of Iowa. Under this contract, a previous Plan Reading Course, prepared for the Iowa State Highway Commission in 1965, has been completely revised using a new format, new plans, updated specifications, and new material. This course is a self-taught course consisting of two parts; Highway Plans, and Bridge and Culvert plans. Each part consists of a self-instruction book, a set of plans, a question booklet, and an answer booklet. This is the self-instruction book for the Bridge and Culvert Plans part of the course. The example structures included in this part of the course are a prestressed concrete beam bridge and a reinforced concrete box culvert.

Total Cost of Transportation Analysis of Road and Highway Issues, HR-388, 2002

In the administration, planning, design, and maintenance of road systems, transportation professionals often need to choose between alternatives, justify decisions, evaluate tradeoffs, determine how much to spend, set priorities, assess how well the network meets traveler needs, and communicate the basis for their actions to others. A variety of technical guidelines, tools, and methods have been developed to help with these activities. Such work aids include design criteria guidelines, design exception analysis methods, needs studies, revenue allocation schemes, regional planning guides, designation of minimum standards, sufficiency ratings, management systems, point based systems to determine eligibility for paving, functional classification, and bridge ratings. While such tools play valuable roles, they also manifest a number of deficiencies and are poorly integrated. Design guides tell what solutions MAY be used, they aren't oriented towards helping find which one SHOULD be used. Design exception methods help justify deviation from design guide requirements but omit consideration of important factors. Resource distribution is too often based on dividing up what's available rather than helping determine how much should be spent. Point systems serve well as procedural tools but are employed primarily to justify decisions that have already been made. In addition, the tools aren't very scalable: a system level method of analysis seldom works at the project level and vice versa. In conjunction with the issues cited above, the operation and financing of the road and highway system is often the subject of criticisms that raise fundamental questions: What is the best way to determine how much money should be spent on a city or a county's road network? Is the size and quality of the rural road system appropriate? Is too much or too little money spent on road work? What parts of the system should be upgraded and in what sequence? Do truckers receive a hidden subsidy from other motorists? Do transportation professions evaluate road situations from too narrow of a perspective? In considering the issues and questions the author concluded that it would be of value if one could identify and develop a new method that would overcome the shortcomings of existing methods, be scalable, be capable of being understood by the general public, and utilize a broad viewpoint. After trying out a number of concepts, it appeared that a good approach would be to view the road network as a sub-component of a much larger system that also includes vehicles, people, goods-in-transit, and all the ancillary items needed to make the system function. Highway investment decisions could then be made on the basis of how they affect the total cost of operating the total system. A concept, named the "Total Cost of Transportation" method, was then developed and tested. The concept rests on four key principles: 1) that roads are but one sub-system of a much larger 'Road Based Transportation System', 2) that the size and activity level of the overall system are determined by market forces, 3) that the sum of everything expended, consumed, given up, or permanently reserved in building the system and generating the activity that results from the market forces represents the total cost of transportation, and 4) that the economic purpose of making road improvements is to minimize that total cost. To test the practical value of the theory, a special database and spreadsheet model of Iowa's county road network was developed. This involved creating a physical model to represent the size, characteristics, activity levels, and the rates at which the activities take place, developing a companion economic cost model, then using the two in tandem to explore a variety of issues. Ultimately, the theory and model proved capable of being used in full system, partial system, single segment, project, and general design guide levels of analysis. The method appeared to be capable of remedying many of the existing work method defects and to answer society's transportation questions from a new perspective.

Work Zone Simulation Model, 1999

To support the analysis of driver behavior at rural freeway work zone lane closure merge points, Center for Transportation Research and Education staff collected traffic data at merge areas using video image processing technology. The collection of data and the calculation of the capacity of lane closures are reported in a companion report, "Traffic Management Strategies for Merge Areas in Rural Interstate Work Zones". These data are used in the work reported in this document and are used to calibrate a microscopic simulation model of a typical, Iowa rural freeway lane closure. The model developed is a high fidelity computer simulation with an animation interface. It simulates traffic operations at a work zone lane closure. This model enables traffic engineers to visually demonstrate the forecasted delay that is likely to result when freeway reconstruction makes it necessary to close freeway lanes. Further, the model is also sensitive to variations in driver behavior and is used to test the impact of slow moving vehicles and other driver behaviors. This report consists of two parts. The first part describes the development of the work zone simulation model. The simulation analysis is calibrated and verified through data collected at a work zone in Interstate Highway 80 in Scott County, Iowa. The second part is a user's manual for the simulation model, which is provided to assist users with its set up and operation. No prior computer programming skills are required to use the simulation model.