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LEADERSHIP AGENDA

OPERATIONAL SCAN

DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE

Transportation

Nancy Richardson, Director

Mission Statement:
The Department of Transportation advocates and delivers transportation services that support the economic, environmental and social vitality of Iowa.

Measures:
Miles of new paved shoulders
Reseed rural roadsides with native grasses and wildflowers
Wetland Replacement
Non-committed right of way parcels
Sufficiency ratings

•  Performance Plan - How we measure our progress


•  Strategic Plan - How we plan for progress


•  Performance Report- How we report our progress


• Department Home Page - Learn more about this department

Why this is important:
An incentive started in FY05, paving shoulders is designed to make Iowa roads safer. Statistics show that in 2005, 36% of roadway fatalities in Iowa involved run-off-the road crashes. Research has shown that paved shoulders can significantly reduce these types of crashes.


What we're doing about this:
Focus will be on construction and rehabilitation projects awarded for work on heavily used portions of the primary highway system. The goal over time is to provide paved shoulders on the National Highway System and other portions of the primary highway system with an annual average daily traffic count of 3,000 or more. With the addition of approximately 700 miles of paved shoulders during the first three years of the initiative, a total of 5,700 miles (42.2%) of eligible shoulder miles are now paved.

Why this is important:
The benefits of reseeding with native vegetation are many and varied. Extensive root systems allow for improved erosion control, increased water filtration, and reduced storm water runoff that help improve Iowa's water quality. Native plants help enhance safety by reducing blowing and drifting snow. We also believe they can reduce long-term costs through reduced fertilizing, mowing and spraying. On top of everything else, they look good along the roadside!


What we're doing about this:
The amount of seeding possible depends on the amount of highway construction that needs seeding and the availability of funds. Meetings involving staff and contractors are held annually to determine possible improvements to seeding, enhancing growth, and contracting procedures. Together with an estimated 22,000 acres of landscaping and seeding accomplished prior to FY01, approximately 31 percent of a potential 148,000 acres have been landscaped/seeded.

Why this is important:
While it is critical to provide Iowans with a vitally needed transportation system, highway construction can disrupt many things, including nature's ability to filter and manage water flow. Replacing wetland areas disturbed by highway construction works to maintain and enhance water quality in our state. This work also supports efforts to reduce impaired waterways.


What we're doing about this:
The Office of Location and Environment monitors reports and projects to insure intended results are achieved. An annual review is also conducted to make certain sufficient action has been taken. The department works diligently to balance impacts to the environment with the transportation needs of Iowans.

Why this is important:
Disposal of land no longer required for highway purposes maximizes productivity of Iowa's most precious natural resource - land. Converting unrequired right-of-way to new ownership shifts the land from a state government maintenance expense to a wide array of opportunities such as private use, economic development, or broader public use by other public entities.


What we're doing about this:
The variability of resources, the need to preserve options throughout the highway planning process, and a wide variety of potential uses for non-committed parcels make flexibility a key in providing responsible stewardship of land. To help maintain the optimum balance in such a fluid environment, the Property Management Section within the Office of Right of Way administers the number of parcels and acres sold as well as funds generated in a way that minimizes the amount of noncommitted right-of-way held by the department. In fiscal years 2004 through 2007, sale of noncommitted parcels returned $13 million to the Primary Road Fund.

Why this is important:
The sufficiency rating evaluates a highway segment's ability to safely carry traffic and is a tool used to identify needed highway improvements by taking into account condition, geometrics, traffic volume, crash history and other factors. Iowans use highways to get to work, school, health-care and recreation; to purchase goods and services; and to maintain connections with family and friends. Vital for a healthy Iowa economy, the highway system supports the movement of goods across the state, the Midwest, the country and to international markets. Freight movements on Iowa roadways have grown 51 percent in the last 15 years and are expected to grow another 50 percent by 2020.


What we're doing about this:
The sufficiency rating is a measure of a highway's ability to safely and efficiently move traffic. The department utilizes sufficiency ratings as a tool to identify roadways that should be considered for resurfacing, reconstruction, or added capacity. All of these improvements will increase the sufficiency rating of a road segment and therefore improve the performance of the highway system.

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