Rep. Axne Announces $14,500,000 in DOT Flood Repair Grants for Iowa

 Grants will assist reconstruction of federally owned roads and highways damaged by 2019 floods

DES MOINES, IA – Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) announced $14,491,169 in new federal grants to cover repair and reconstruction expenses of federal roads and highways that were damaged in 2019 floods across Iowa.

The new grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will cover repair costs for damage along major routes like I-29, I-680, and US-34 – as well as federal roads maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“After last year’s flooding, many of Iowa’s road and highways were damaged – adding additional strain onto our already aging infrastructure,” said Rep. Axne. “These grants will help restore these roadways and allow traffic to resume at a pre-disaster level and help us keep Iowa on track to a full recovery.”

The grants were awarded as follows:

• $13,978,130 for project sites across Iowa managed by the Iowa Department of Transportation
• $513,039 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for projects along the Missouri River

Rep. Axne fought to increase funding for this emergency relief program in last year’s disaster supplemental bill. Her amendment to increase funding for the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program by $500 million passed the House in May 2019.

After securing $3 billion for Midwest flood recovery in last year’s federal disaster bill, Rep. Axne has been tracking funding provided to Iowa to help rebuild from last year’s flooding with her Iowa Flood Funding Tracker.