The Johnson County Board of Supervisors discussed its five-year construction program on April 6.Mike Carberry, the supervisors’ vice chairman, said the county will focus on road construction over the next two years. The effect on county roads, he said, has been significant.

“We try to do the best we can,” he said. “[There are] 1,000 miles of roads in Johnson County.”

Carberry said the county will work on three projects this year. Some projects on the five-year plan are expected occur more rapidly than others, he said.

Although road construction is planned for a calendar year, it is budgeted for a fiscal year, he said.

“[It’s] something we are mandated by state to do,” Carberry said. “[So residents know] what roads are being done and what bridges are being done.”

Unfortunately, he said, Iowa ranks poorly in bridge infrastructure. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Iowa ranked first in 2015 in having the most structurally deficient bridges.

Carberry attributes some of the county’s successful projects to taxes on gasoline.

“We’ve done a lot of great projects in the last two years because of gasoline taxes,” he said. “[There was an] increase [in] gasoline tax [by] 10 cents.”

In a release on their website, the supervisors noted that counties are required to submit their plans to the Iowa Department of Transportation by April 15.

— by Madeleine Neal