Hwyneeds: Methodology, Analysis and Evaluation, March 2001

The quadrennial need study was developed to assist in identifying county highway financial needs (construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, and administration) and in the distribution of the road use tax fund (RUTF) among the counties in the state. During the period since the need study was first conducted using HWYNEEDS software, between 1982 and 1998, there have been large fluctuations in the level of funds distributed to individual counties. A recent study performed by Jim Cable (HR-363, 1993), found that one of the major factors affecting the volatility in the level of fluctuations is the quality of the pavement condition data collected and the accuracy of these data. In 1998, the Center for Transportation Research and Education researchers (Maze and Smadi) completed a project to study the feasibility of using automated pavement condition data collected for the Iowa Pavement Management Program (IPMP) for the paved county roads to be used in the HWYNEEDS software (TR-418). The automated condition data are objective and also more current since they are collected in a two year cycle compared to the 10-year cycle used by HWYNEEDS right now. The study proved the use of the automated condition data in HWYNEEDS would be feasible and beneficial in educing fluctuations when applied to a pilot study area. In another recommendation from TR-418, the researchers recommended a full analysis and investigation of HWYNEEDS methodology and parameters (for more information on the project, please review the TR-418 project report). The study reported in this document builds on the previous study on using the automated condition data in HWYNEEDS and covers the analysis and investigation of the HWYNEEDS computer program methodology and parameters. The underlying hypothesis for this study is thatalong with the IPMP automated condition data, some changes need to be made to HWYNEEDS parameters to accommodate the use of the new data, which will stabilize the process of allocating resources and reduce fluctuations from one quadrennial need study to another. Another objective of this research is to investigate the gravel roads needs and study the feasibility of developing a more objective approach to determining needs on the counties gravel road network. This study identifies new procedures by which the HWYNEEDS computer program is used to conduct the quadrennial needs study on paved roads. Also, a new procedure will be developed to determine gravel roads needs outside of the HWYNEED program. Recommendations are identified for the new procedures and also in terms of making changes to the current quadrennial need study. Future research areas are also identified.

I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study, Vol 3, Fall 2003

The I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study has been progressing since the last newsletter and the Public Information Meetings in July of 2002, and the Advisory Committee has been involved in every step. Our goal has been and continues to be ensuring that community priorities and goals are reflected in the I-74 project, and that local concerns are considered.

I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study, Vol 2, Winter 2002

The I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study has been progressing since the last newsletter and the Public Information Meetings in July of 2002, and the Advisory Committee has been involved in every step. Our goal has been and continues to be ensuring that community priorities and goals are reflected in the I-74 project, and that local concerns are considered.

I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study, Vol 1, Winter 2005

The I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study has been progressing since the last newsletter and the Public Information Meetings in July of 2002, and the Advisory Committee has been involved in every step. Our goal has been and continues to be ensuring that community priorities and goals are reflected in the I-74 project, and that local concerns are considered.

I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study, Vol 4, Winter 2005

The I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study has been progressing since the last newsletter and the Public Information Meetings in July of 2002, and the Advisory Committee has been involved in every step. Our goal has been and continues to be ensuring that community priorities and goals are reflected in the I-74 project, and that local concerns are considered.

I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study, Vol 5, Spring 2006

The I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study has been progressing since the last newsletter and the Public Information Meetings in July of 2002, and the Advisory Committee has been involved in every step. Our goal has been and continues to be ensuring that community priorities and goals are reflected in the I-74 project, and that local concerns are considered.

I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study, Vol 6, Winter 2009

The I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor Study has been progressing since the last newsletter and the Public Information Meetings in July of 2002, and the Advisory Committee has been involved in every step. Our goal has been and continues to be ensuring that community priorities and goals are reflected in the I-74 project, and that local concerns are considered.

Iowa 86 from Iowa 9 to 700 feet South of 110th Street Dickinson County, Iowa, May 2011

The Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) (23 CFR) mandated environmental streamlining in order to improve transportation project delivery without compromising environmental protection. In accordance with TEA-21, the environmental review process for this project has been documented as a Streamlined Environmental Assessment (EA). This document addresses only those resources or features that apply to the project. This allowed study and discussion of resources present in the study area, rather than expend effort on resources that were either not present or not impacted. Although not all resources are discussed in the EA, they were considered during the planning process and are documented in the Streamlined Resource Summary, shown in Appendix A. The following table shows the resources considered during the environmental review for this project. The first column with a check means the resource is present in the project area. The second column with a check means the impact to the resource warrants more discussion in this document. The other listed resources have been reviewed and are included in the Streamlined Resource Summary.

Iowa in Motion, Planning Ahead State Transportation Plan, May 8, 2012

According to 23 CFR § 450.214(a), “The State shall develop a long-range statewide transportation plan, with a minimum 20-year forecast period at the time of adoption, that provides for the development and implementation of the multimodal transportation system for the State.” The state transportation plan (Plan) is a document that will address this requirement and serve as a transportation investment guide between now and 2040. Iowa’s most recent plan was developed by the Iowa Department of Transportation and adopted in 1997 through a planning process called Iowa in Motion. Much of Iowa in Motion has been implemented and this Plan, "Iowa in Motion – Planning Ahead," will build on the success of its predecessor. The Plan projects the demand for transportation infrastructure and services to 2040 based on consideration of social and economic changes likely to occur during this time. Iowa’s economy and the need to meet the challenges of the future will continue to place pressure on the transportation system. With this in mind, the Plan will provide direction for each transportation mode, and will support a renewed emphasis on efficient investment and prudent, responsible management of our existing transportation system. In recent years, the Iowa DOT has branded this philosophy as stewardship. As Iowa changes and the transportation system evolves, one constant will be that the safe and efficient movement of Iowans and our products is essential for stable growth in Iowa’s economy. Iowa’s extensive multimodal and multijurisdictional transportation system is a critical component of economic development and job creation throughout the state.

Evaluation of the RapidAir 457 Air Void Analyzer, March 2012

An adequate air void system is imperative to produce concrete with freeze-thaw durability in a wet freeze environment such as found in Iowa. Specifications rely on a percentage of air obtained in the plastic state by the pressure meter. Actual, in place air contents, of some concrete pavements in Iowa, have been found with reduced air content due to a number of factors such as excessive vibration and inadequate mixing. Determining hardened air void parameters is a time consuming process involving potential for human error. The RapidAir 457 air void analyzer is an automated device used to determine hardened air void parameters. The device is used in Europe and has been shown to quickly produce accurate and repeatable hardened air results. This research investigates how well the RapidAir 457 results correlate to plastic air content and the image analysis air technique. The repeatability and operator variation were also investigated, as well as, the impact of aggregate porosity and selection of threshold value on hardened air results.

Missouri River Flood Recovery, January 27, 2012 Vol. 1, no. 5

The Missouri River Flood Recovery newsletter is published by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division in cooperation with members of the Missouri River Recovery Coordination Task Force.

Missouri River Flood Recovery, December 2, 2012 Vol. 1, no. 3

The Missouri River Flood Recovery newsletter is published by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division in cooperation with members of the Missouri River Recovery Coordination Task Force.

Missouri River Flood Recovery, November 4, 2012 Vol. 1, no. 1

The Missouri River Flood Recovery newsletter is published by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division in cooperation with members of the Missouri River Recovery Coordination Task Force.

Missouri River Flood Recovery, November 18, 2012 Vol. 1, no. 2

The Missouri River Flood Recovery newsletter is published by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division in cooperation with members of the Missouri River Recovery Coordination Task Force.

Missouri River Flood Recovery, December 23, 2012 Vol. 1, no. 4

The Missouri River Flood Recovery newsletter is published by the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division in cooperation with members of the Missouri River Recovery Coordination Task Force.