DES MOINES – Congress is in recess, but when they come back the Senate will vote on a bill that would give millions of dollars to local communities and states to help repair bridges and roads.
Iowa is one of those states looking to claim some of this federal grant money. Local 5 spoke to the Iowa Department of Transportation director Mark Lowe about why this is important to Iowans.
“For us, it’s really important because we are planning things years in advance. We only have assured funding for that first year. At the state level, we have a $3.5 billion program. About half of that comes from federal funding. So, without that certainty we really have some uncertainty about what we’re going to be doing.”
Mark Lowe, Iowa DOT Director
Senator Joni Ernst is a big supporter of this bill. The legislation made it out of a committee with bipartisan support. It will have to be called up for a full vote when the Senate returns.