SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 1, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 6/6/17
In this edition:
*Bridge Over I-80
*The Politics of Bridge Building
*City Growth in Johnson County
*Haiku
*Did You Know?
*Bridge
Over I-80
Johnson
County got some bad news last week, as we were informed that the Iowa
Department of Transportation (IDOT) plans to eliminate the Lower West Branch
Road bridge over I-80.
A
bit of background: I-80 was built over the course of a decade, with the Johnson
County sections among the last to open in 1963. The intersections we had then
are the same ones we have now, including the Herbert Hoover Highway (HHH) exit
and the West Branch exit. (The West Branch exit is technically in Cedar County,
just half a mile or so over the county line.)
Building
I-80 caused dozens of county roads to become dead ends. This was an
inconvenience for neighbors, obviously, but probably a fair trade for the overall
convenience of I-80. Still, some local roads needed to cross the Interstate.
Emergency vehicles need to be able to reach residents without lengthy detours.
Farmers need to get to town. You simply couldn’t close every local road.
So between those two exits (HHH and West Branch), the IDOT built
bridges to allow Wapsi Avenue and Lower West Branch Road to cross I-80. These
would be the roads that locals could use to get north and south.
And they have worked! For 54 years! HHH to Wapsi is about a mile
and a half. Wapsi to Lower West Branch Road is about 2.5 miles. Lower West
Branch to West Branch is another 1.5 miles. This arrangement has served the
people of Johnson County well.
Well,
now IDOT says they are closing the Lower West Branch Road bridge. The existing
bridge is not long enough to allow the Interstate to expand to six lanes
through Johnson County. And building a longer bridge is money the state does
not want to spend.
I
think this is disingenuous on the part of the IDOT. First of all, THEY are the
group that put that bridge there in the first place! Why was it needed in 1963,
when our population was 53,000 residents, and not in 2017, when the population
is 153,000?
Secondly,
the IDOT is widening the Interstate because of the population growth! Doesn’t
it make sense that these additional people will not require LESS ways to cross
I-80?
I
am frustrated by this process, as are all my colleagues. We will do our best to
fight to keep the bridge. But let’s be honest – state government has no love of
Johnson County. If they can stick a thumb in our eye, they will do it. Even if
it puts the health, safety, and welfare of rural residents at risk.
*The Politics of Bridge Building
I
find that there are often disconnects between reality and the political
narratives we choose to embrace. The issue of rural bridges is a good example
of this disconnect.
First,
a bit of background: every Iowa county has hundreds of miles of gravel roads.
In addition, many of these roads have multiple bridges. Some are concrete, some
are steel, and some are timber, but they all serve the same purpose. We replace
a few of these bridges every year, and I can tell you the cost is pretty much
always between $300-$600,000, depending upon the length.
These
bridges are lifelines for the people who live in the area. This is how farmers
get to their fields. This is how farmers get to town. The rural economy
functions best when these bridges are well maintained.
In
addition, there is a public safety factor. Fire trucks, ambulances, and
Sheriff’s vehicles need to be able to access the residents of the area via a
quick and direct route.
On
the other hand, the cost of these bridges adds up. Say we set aside $1.5
million for these bridges each year. That is the same cost as one brand new
mile of paved road, or the rehabilitation of 3 miles of paved road.
Some of our paved roads see thousands of cars every day. Often
these gravel roads have traffic counts as low as 25 cars per day. Needless to
say, many people feel it is foolish to invest so much money in these bridges
when the total traffic counts are so low.
I understand both sides of the argument. But time after time, I
have come down on the side of the farmer. I have served as a Supervisor for 12
years. In that time, Johnson County has never permanently closed a bridge. I am
extremely proud of that fact!
But
you won’t find a bunch of farmers singing my praises. In fact, you’ll find the
exact opposite; farmers talking about how much they hate my work as a
Supervisor.
Here
is where the disconnect comes in. Washington County – with more farms than
Johnson County – has closed several of these bridges. The Washington County
Board is made up 100% of conservative Republicans. But they have been closing
bridges.
Cedar
County is the same way. The Cedar County Board is made up of 100% conservative
Republicans, including the Chair of the Iowa Republican Party. But they have
been closing bridges.
The
same disconnect exists in the case of the I-80 bridge described in the article
above. The Branstad Administration runs the IDOT. They are all Republicans in
charge. They could choose to serve our farmers and keep the Lower West Branch
Road bridge. But instead, they are closing it.
Like
many areas of our politics today, the politics of bridge building are not what
you might guess.
*City Growth in Johnson County
The
U.S. Census Bureau has released 2016 population estimates, and Johnson County
cities continue to boom. Tiffin saw a 54.4 percent population increase to 3,006
– the fastest growth in Iowa. North Liberty was the state's fifth
fastest-growing city, growing 38 percent to 18,520.
Iowa
City grew at 9.5 percent to 74,398 people. Coralville grew by 7.9 percent to 20,397.
Solon grew 24.5 percent to 2,587; Hills 15% to 808, Shueyville 14% to 646, Lone
Tree 7% to 1388, Swisher 5% to 924, and University Heights 3.6 % to 1,089.
The
State Library of Iowa said that 243 Iowa cities grew, 652 shrank, and 49 cities
stayed the same.
*Haiku
Yes! Summer is
here!
Baseball and
green plants.
Life is truly
good.
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa
leads the nation in most bridges in poor shape, according to a new report. The report from
the American Road & Transportation Builders Association says “of the 24,184
bridges in Iowa, 4,968, or 21%, are classified as structurally deficient”.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
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Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 4:42 PM
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