A recent report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association shows 36-percent or 220,000 U.S. bridges need to be repaired or replaced. Iowa tops the list for the worst condition for bridges with nearly 1800 bridges. Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill says infrastructure is a critical issue for farmers and ranchers who need a reliable system to get their goods to market.
He says much of the burden of repairing or replacing those bridges falls on the farmer.
Iowa raised the gas tax by 5-cents a few years ago to help pay for infrastructure, but there are no new funding bills in the Iowa legislature. Right now they’re focused on the President’s infrastructure bill and says it has both positives and negatives.
Hill says farmers and ranchers need functional locks and dams, bridges and roads and highways to stay competitive in the global market as well.
