(Cedar Rapids, IA) -- Some of Iowa's road projects could face some delays, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Department of Transportation Planner Cathy Cutler tells KCRG-TV 9 that because fewer people were traveling this year, revenues in Iowa's Road Use Tax Fund are lower, which could impact plans for road projects. She says state and federal gas tax revenue are down this year.
She notes travel was down about 40-percent at one point, which means a steep reduction in fuel use, and revenue collected in gas taxes.
Cutler says the biggest project that could be slowed is the I-80/380 interchange in Johnson County.
“We were going to have a huge letting in July, but just due to funding and cash flow, we’ve moved that to December. That has a net impact of actually adding a year onto that project, so it will now go into 2024,” Cutler tells KCRG. She says traffic has picked up over the past several months, but there will still likely be delays on projects, but not cancellations.