Iowa’s infrastructure ranks ninth worst in the country, according to report by the financial website 24-7 Wall Street. The study analyzed the age and upkeep of the state’s roads, bridges, dams and highway spending. Aaron Granquist, a civil engineer with HR Green, says county-maintained rural bridges connecting farmland to metro areas are the most vulnerable.
Granquist says Iowa ranks higher in other more comprehensive reports, but he says a recent raise in the state’s gas tax isn’t enough to offset years of what he calls deferred maintenance of public infrastructure.
Granquist says the 2015 boost in the state’s gas tax will help fund improvements, but he says it’s not enough to keep up with what he calls decades of deferred maintenance.
