Iowa’s long-range transportation plan comes to life

February 12, 2019

Government agencies are well known for developing plans. But a plan is only as impactful as its implementation. At the Iowa Department of Transportation, our award-winning planning teams work diligently to analyze data, review public input, and create plans that come to life to keep people and goods moving safely and efficiently through our state.

The Iowa DOT’s long-range transportation plan, Iowa in Motion 2045, addresses federal requirements and serves as a transportation investment guide. Getting the most out of every tax dollar and providing a safe, reliable transportation system well into the future are critical elements for economic development and job creation throughout the state.

The awards are just a bonus

February 8, 2019

“Getting you there safely, efficiently and conveniently” is the mission of the Iowa DOT.  That mission starts off with the people who use mountains of data to look far into the future and put together plans with, and for, various groups within the agency to use as guidelines. Historically, plans haven’t gotten a lot of attention because they were fairly high-level policy documents that were more theoretical in nature. That’s all changing with a new school of thought that puts action to these planning efforts.

“I view our team as a little like Mighty Mouse,” said Garrett Pedersen of the Office of Systems Planning. “We are a small team of eight, but with a lot of planning muscle.”

A safe way to get the feel for plowing snow

January 17, 2019

Do you remember getting behind the wheel for the first time? It was likely terrifying and exciting all at the same time. Now imagine what that experience is like if the wheel is attached to a 50,000-pound snow plow and you’re headed out into your first snowstorm.

“These machines are very large and we are often working in less than ideal conditions. If the person behind the wheel isn’t adequately trained, there is a real potential for danger,” said Craig Bargfrede, Iowa Department of Transportation winter operations administrator.

Many Iowa DOT snowfighters are seasoned veterans with years of experience under their belts. Several are at or near retirement age, so we're hiring new snowfighters to keep you moving. Since getting that first feel for snowplowing isn't something we want to do in an actual storm, we’ve trained a large number of new men and women on a high-tech simulator.

Bridge collaboration solidifies relationships and fosters new ideas

December 3, 2018

How do you get from Iowa to Nebraska? Well since there’s a river in between, we venture a guess that a bridge will be involved.

At one time not all that long ago, there was no national system of highways. Just because a road ran to the border of another state, there was no guarantee that the road would continue past the border. In addition, bridges, especially those crossing major rivers, were few and far between.

Luckily, transportation professionals quickly realized that the need for people and goods to move doesn’t end at a state’s border. Over the years collaboration and cooperation between states has continued to grow. Much of the work done at departments of transportation around the country has become standardized, helping travelers know what to expect and have a relatively consistent experience no matter what state they are traveling in. That’s not to say each state doesn’t have a few innovations up their sleeves.

Working together during tough conditions to make travel safer

November 16, 2018

Responding to a traffic crash is never fun and can often be one of the most dangerous tasks asked of emergency response professionals including Iowa Department of Transportation field staff.

To improve traveler and responder safety and to keep traffic moving as smoothly as possible during an incident, emergency response professionals from all over Iowa are training together to improve traffic incident management, often called TIM.

Getting the blues is a good thing

November 2, 2018

You would think a huge orange snowplow truck would be easy to spot, but in the midst of a winter snowstorm, even the behemoths that plow snow can become nearly invisible.  For those brave souls venturing out into the storm, the Iowa Department of Transportation is doing more than just plowing snow to keep you safe.

“Making our snowplow trucks as visible as possible is a major focus during a winter storm,” said Craig Bargfrede, Iowa DOT winter operations administrator. “Snowplow trucks typically travel much slower than other traffic only going around 35 miles per hour or less. When they hit drifts, they can throw large snow clouds around them. This can disrupt the vision of drivers in vehicles traveling around the plows and potentially create increased risks for crashes.”