Truck parking projects part of Iowa 5-year road plan
Officials in Iowa have approved a five-year plan that allocates a portion of funds to truck parking expansion and adding restrooms at certain sites.
On June 11, the Iowa Transportation Commission approved its 2025-2029 Transportation Improvement Program, which outlines how an expected $4.5 billion in state and federal funds will be allocated over the next five years for state highway and bridge construction projects.
“Projects included in the program are consistent with the goals and objectives of the State Long-Range Transportation Plan and identified following a detailed evaluation of safety, traffic, congestion, condition and other data,” the Iowa Department of Transportation said in a statement. “This assures the projects are those necessary to provide modern, safe and efficient transportation of goods and the traveling public.”
According to the department, the Commission “prioritizes investments that improve the safety and condition of existing state highways and bridges” when choosing which projects to fund, with over $3.9 billion of the total funds in the program allocated to projects of that kind.
While those projects account for the lion’s share of the available dollars, the state also is making investments that will benefit truckers.
“One of the Commission’s program objectives is to support accessibility by investing in truck parking at Interstate Rest Areas and to invest in vault toilets at parking-only sites,” Stuart Anderson, director of the Iowa DOT’s Transportation Development Division, told Land Line.
In total, the program will add 51 truck parking spots at rest areas along the interstate system over the next five years.
Anderson said that financial constraints in 2023 – caused by inflation increasing overall project costs – led to 12 projects being delayed this year. One of those delayed projects was eliminating truck parking-only sites across the state, which did not have restroom facilities for drivers.
However, that delay turned into a benefit for drivers. Rather than eliminating the sites, the recently approved version of the program allocated funds to add vault toilets at some of the locations.
While those projects won’t happen for a while, the state also is investing in improvements that will benefit truckers in 2024. A project was recently completed to add “24/7 modern restroom facilities” at two weigh stations located along the interstate system. Additionally, work is underway on a project to expand truck parking by 18 spaces at the rest area located along Interstate 80 eastbound near Victor.
More information about the state’s five-year Transportation Improvement Program can be found here. LL