HomeMy WebLinkAboutMPOJC - Future Forward 2050: Connecting Communities Long Range Transportation Plan - May22Laurie Goodrich Coralville City Council
Meghann Foster Coralville City Council
Janice Weiner Iowa City City Council
Meghan Alter Iowa City City Council
John Thomas (Chair) Iowa City City Council
Shawn Harmsen Iowa City City Council
Pauline Taylor Iowa City City Council
Laura Bergus Iowa City City Council
Royceann Porter Johnson County Board of Supervisors
Rod Sullivan Johnson County Board of Supervisors
Jon Greene Johnson County Board of Supervisors
Chris Hoffman North Liberty City Council
Brian Wayson, North Liberty City Council
Steve Berner Tiffin City Council
Erin Shane University of Iowa
Louise From (Vice-Chair) University Heights City Council
Ruthina Malone (non-voting) Iowa City School Board
Vicky Robrock Manager, Coralville Transit
Scott Larson City Engineer, City of Coralville
Kelly Hayworth City Administrator, City of Coralville
Darian Nagle-Gamm Director, Trans. Services, City of Iowa City
Ron Knoche Director, Public Works, City of Iowa City
Jason Havel City Engineer, City of Iowa City
Mark Rummel Asst. Director, Trans. Services, Iowa City
Scott Sovers Asst. City Engineer, City of Iowa City
Ryan Rusnak Planning Director, City of North Liberty
Louise From University Heights City Council
Doug Boldt City Administrator, City of Tiffin
Greg Parker Johnson County Engineer
Tom Brase Director, Johnson County SEATS
Brian McClatchey Manager, University of Iowa Cambus
David Kieft Business Manager, University of Iowa
Sadie Greiner Facilities Management, University of Iowa
Bob Oppliger Regional Trails & Bicycling Committee
Cathy Cutler (ex-officio) Planner, Iowa DOT
Darla Hugaboom (ex-officio) Federal Highway Administration, Ames
Brock Grenis (ex-officio) East Central Iowa Council of Governments
Jeremiah Shuler (ex-officio) Federal Transit Administration, Kansas City
Doug Boldt City Administrator, City of Tiffin
Louise From University Heights City Council
Jay Geisen University of Iowa
Elizabeth Hubing Bike Iowa City
Bob Oppliger Bicyclists of Iowa City
Sherri Proud Director of Parks & Recreation, City of Coralville
Ryan Rusnak City of North Liberty
Juli Seydell Johnson Director of Parks & Recreation, City of Iowa City
Becky Soglin Sustainability Coordinator, Johnson County
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
1
5
29
55
61
2022-2030 Project map and tables 87-89
2026-2035 Project map and tables 90-92
2036-2045 Project map and tables 93-95
97
2022-2050 Project maps and tables 109-112
113
129
135
141
Metropolitan Area map page 2
Land Use maps pages 6 - 7
Environmental maps pages 33 - 34
Freight Network map page 130
Population Demographics & Housing
Population Growth & Allocation charts page 8
Population Projection tables page 9
Population Density (TAZ) maps pages 10-11
Families with Children (Block Group) map page 12
Household Income (Block Group) map page 13
Population Pyramid page 23
Non-white Population page 52
Low-English Proficiency page 52
Housing
Housing Density (TAZ) maps pages 18-19
Gross Rent by Community page 21
Housing Building Permits by Community page 21
Multi-family Housing map page 22
Employment
Mean Salary by Occupation page 14
Major Employers page 15
Employment Density (TAZ) maps pages 16-17
Travel
Means of Transportation to Work table page 25
Vehicle Miles Traveled tables page 24
Commuting maps pages 26-27
Costs of Transport + Housing page 27
Commute Times chart page 33
Commuting in and out of County page 26
Road and Bridge
Arterial Street map page 62
Federal Functional Classification map page 64
Bridge Conditions map page 65
Pavement Condition Index map pages 66-67
Congestion maps pages 72-75
Level of Service (LOS) table page 71
Vehicle Collision Map page 43
EV Charging Stations in Metro page 81
Monthly Average Traffic During COVID page 884
Bicycle and Pedestrian
Bike Network map page 98
Bike and Pedestrian Collision map page 44
Bicycle Equity Trends charts page 52
Strava Heat maps pages 94-95
Pedestrian and Bicycle Obstacle Map page 103
Passenger Transportation
Transit Funding chart page 106
Transit map page 114
Bus Ridership chart page 117
Performance Targets page 123
Covid Funding Table page 121
Passenger Rail Study Map page 124
Useful Life of Equipment page 122
Formula Funding
STBG Funding by Project Type page 57
MPO Funding tables page 58
Funding Allocation Process page 59
List of Figures and Maps
Federal legislation requires any urbanized area with a population over 50,000 to have a metro-
politan planning organization (MPO) to ensure that existing and future expenditures of federal
funding for transportation projects and programs are based on the continuing, cooperative, and
comprehensive (“3-C”) planning process. With the assistance of MPOs, metropolitan-wide plans
are developed through intergovernmental collaboration, rational analysis, and consensus-based
decision making. Transparency through public access and participation in the planning process
and electronic publication of plans is now required by federal law.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) provides transportation
planning services for the Iowa City urbanized area, including Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty,
University Heights, Tiffin, Johnson County, and the University of Iowa. The MPO facilitates collab-
oration among local governments, other interested parties, and residents of the metro area in
the planning process. is com-
posed of 15 voting members made up of
elected officials from each of the member
entities plus one representative appointed
by the president of the University of Iowa.
Representation is proportional to the popula-
tion of the entity, however Iowa City is limited
to 6 members to avoid having a majority of
seats on the Board. The Iowa City Communi-
ty School District has one non-voting school
board member. The Board is organized to
conform with the federal requirements of the
MPO.
•Smart transportation investment means allocating scarce transportation funding and re-
sources to the areas of greatest need.
•Planning for the metro area should reflect the region’s shared vision for its future and re-
quires a comprehensive examination of the region’s future investments.
•The MPO facilitates collaboration between governments, interested parties, and residents.
Meetings of the Urbanized Area Policy
Board allow representatives of the MPO
entities to discuss shared goals and chal-
lenges and to plan for investments that
benefit the metro transportation system.
Photo courtesty Iowa City Channel 4.
The development and adoption of a Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is required by the
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for all urbanized areas in order to receive federal fund-
ing under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA is the most current federal
legislation (enacted 2021) that establishes federal transportation funding programs for surface
transportation modes.
The Plan must represent all municipalities within the MPOJC’s metropolitan area planning bound-
ary and be comprehensive—considering all modes of surface transportation. The Plan should
coordinate transportation issues among and between adjacent municipalities and attempt to
address conflicting perspectives. Finally, the Plan should be continuing in its evolution and be
updated as community priorities change, but at least every five years according to Federal re-
quirements.
MPO entities and the public should have adequate opportunity to comment on the provisions
of the proposed plan. The Plan should reflect priorities for the community that can be translated
into politically viable and financially feasible transportation projects during the life of the Plan.
The LRTP is the transportation vision for the metro area in the same way that a comprehensive
plan is the land use vision for a municipality. A comprehensive plan provides the basis for sub-
sequent zoning and subdivision laws in a municipality, and a long range transportation plan is
intended to provide a similar basis for the programming of projects for all modes of transporta-
tion. To maximize its effectiveness, a long-range transportation plan should be consistent with
the land use plans of individual communities.
In general, this plan shall carry out a transportation planning process that provides for consider-
ation and implementaton of projects, strategies, and services that support the Federal Highway
Administration Planning Factors:
•Economic Vitality
•Safety
•Security
•Accessibility and Mobility
•Environment, Energy Conservation, Quality of LIfe
•Integration/Connectivity
•System Management/Operation
•Preservation
•Resiliency and Reliability
•Travel and Tourism
Long Range Plan Vision:
To ensure the strategic use of public
investments and policies for the cre-
ation of a safe, efficient, and equitable
transportation network that enhances
economic opportunity and growth while
preserving our environment and quality
of life.
The Metropolitan Area
The Metropolitan Area Planning Boundary is the area in which the
metropolitan transportation planning process is carried out. The
boundary includes the five municipal entities—Coralville, Iowa City,
North Liberty, Tiffin, and University Heights—and a portion of un-
incorporated Johnson County directly adjacent to the metro area.
Only projects located within this planning boundary are eligible for
federal funding through the MPO. The MPO may revise the Plan at
any time using the public input procedures noted on page ## in
the Supporting Documents.North Liberty
Coralville
Tiffin
University
Heights
Iowa City
Johnson County
Connecting Communities 2050: Long Range Transportation Plan provides an update to the
previous Future Forward 2045 Plan. The emphasis remains on nine guiding principles with an
expanded set of performance measures to better assess how the Metro Area transportation
network is performing now and in the future.
As with the previous plan, this update emphasizes multi-modal transportation, coordination
of land use patterns and transportation planning, and system preservation. These priorities
are bolstered as the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act brings much-needed
attention and funding to restore the transportation network. The plan also acknowledges that
we are entering a time of rapid technological, economic, and demographic change.
Johnson County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and Tiffin and North Liberty
are the two fastest growing communities in Iowa. This rapid growth within our own Metro Area
and along the I-380 corridor brings with it many opportunities and challenges. Even with the
many projects included in this plan, the costs of maintaining and upgrading the road system
to keep pace with rapid growth will remain a significant challenge. In addition, global climate
change, uncertainty in fuel markets, and changes in the transportation and employment
sectors accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic amplify the need for regional planning and
coordination of land uses to maximize efficiency and expand multi-modal access.
Emerging technologies, such as automated and connected vehicles, also have the potential to
increase mobility options for people and businesses while also increasing safety and efficiency.
Electric vehicles will help reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions as well as dependence
on fossil fuels. These rapidly advancing technologies will require changes and investments in
infrastructure in order to achieve their full potential.
Amid all this rapid technological change and growth, the Connecting Communities Plan retains
its emphasis supporting equity and enhancing quality of life. By coordinating land use patterns
and transportation planning, we ensure all people and neighborhoods have access to the re-
sources and opportunities that make the Iowa City Metro Area such an attractive place to live,
work, and do business.
Regional Context
The Iowa City urbanized area is situated in
Johnson County at the crossroads of Inter-
states 80 and 380 and is served by Highways
218, 1, and 6. The Iowa Interstate Railroad and
CRANDIC Railroad also bisect the area.
Education, healthcare, and research define the
economy with the University of Iowa and the
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics being
the major employers. Healthcare and research
branches of the University have expanded be-
yond Iowa City into Coralville and North Liber-
ty. Research and technology companies and
medical services that benefit from close prox-
imity to the University have expanded through-
out the area, including the UI Research Park in
Coralville.
Over the past decade metro communities have
received national attention as best places to
raise a family, retire, find a job, or start a busi-
ness. It is, therefore, no surprise that Johnson
County is the second fastest growing county in
the state.
Johnson County is known for its low unemploy-
ment rate, diverse economic sectors, and edu-
cational opportunities, including high perform-
ing public school systems. Yet despite its many
assets, Johnson County also ranks high in the
percentage of cost-burdened and extremely
cost-burdened households—with 52% of rent-
ers and 16.4% of homeowners considered ei-
ther cost-burdened or severely cost burdened
in 2019.1 Comparatively, transportation costs
(typically a household’s second-largest expen-
diture) account for 23% of total budget for
households in Johnson County.2
1. U.S. Census Burea, 2015-2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates.
2. Center for Neighborhood Technology. The Housing and
Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index. https://htain-
dex.cnt.org/fact-sheets/Note: Land use designations are based on County property tax assessment classification.Note: Land use designations are derived from future land use plans and documents for each community.
Existing Land Uses Future Land Uses
These land use maps provide a general sense
of where municipalities have planned for ur-
ban growth and development and the types of
land uses anticipated. Land use categories rep-
resented on these maps are simplified in or-
der to make broad comparisions between the
municipalities, especially with regard to trans-
portation-intensive uses such as industrial and
commercial areas.
These maps should not be used to make de-
cisions about whether a particular land use
may be allowed on a specific property or to
draw conclusions about land values or devel-
opment potential of specific properties. They
do, however, demonstrate planned intensive
uses along major road and rail corridors in the
Metro Area and show how proximity to Cedar
Rapids metro area exerts influence on where
people live, shop, and locate businesses.
The Iowa City Metro Area is one of the fast-
est growing regions in the Midwest and sec-
ond only to Des Moines in the state of Iowa.
While over 60% of the Metro Area’s popula-
tion resides in Iowa City, significant population
growth has shifted to North Liberty and Tiffin
in recent years. According to the US Census
Bureau’s 2020 Decennial Census, Tiffin’s pop-
ulation grew by 131.7% since 2010, making it
the fastest growing community in the state.
North Liberty also continues its rapid growth.
Though its population accounts for only 16%
of the Metro’s total population, nearly a third
of population growth in the Metro Area since
2014 is attributed to North Liberty.
The city of Solon is also experiencing rapid pop-
ulation growth, second only to Tiffin. Though
just outside the metro planning boundary, this
growth exerts an influence on transportation
planning for MPO communities.
Johnson and Linn Counties are among the
fastest growing areas in Iowa. According
to the 2020 decennial census, Johnson
County grew by 16.8% over the last de-
cade, adding nearly 22,000 residents; Linn
County grew by 9%, adding nearly 20,000
residents.
The MPOJC developed long-term population projections based on linear growth trends from
2010 to 2019. Based on these trends, the share of the metro population residing in Iowa City by
the year 2050 is expected to decrease to 55% as compared to 63% in 2019, while North Liber-
ty’s proportion of the metro population is expected to increase to 22%. The share of the metro
population in Tiffin is expected to increase from 3% to 7%. Coralville and University Heights are
projected to maintain relatively similar proportions of the metro area population.
By the year 2050, growth trends indicate that the metro area population will increase by 36.5%,
or 68,678 people, to approximately 188,070 persons. Long-range transportation planning is an
essential tool for ensuring the transportation network of today can meet the needs of the grow-
ing population.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 Census and American Community Survey estimates4%4%8%-1%16%4%5%26%42%-5%2010-2014 2015-2019
Iowa City Coralville North Liberty Tiffin University
Heights
ACS: American Community Survey
3,046,355 130,882 67,862 18,907 13,374 1,947 1,051 103,141
3,078,116 136,802 70,597 19,677 14,503 1,921 1,214 107,912
3,139,508 148,577 74,950 21,103 18,829 3,351 1,159 119,392
93,153 17,695 7,088 2,196 5,455 1,404 108 16,251
3.1%13.5%10.4%11.6%40.8%72.1%10.3%16%
0.3%1.5%1.2%1.3%4.5%8.0%1.1%1.8%
62.8%17.7%15.8%2.8%1.0%
44.0%14.0%33.6%8.6%0.7%
Current Population
74,566 74,950 80,556 85,068 89,581 94,093 98,606 103,118 55%
20,645 21,103 22,522 23,841 25,160 26,479 27,797 29,116 15%
18,357 18,829 20,966 26,842 30,515 34,187 37,860 41,532 22%
3,008 3,351 5,051 6,086 7,334 8,837 10,649 12,832 7%
1,206 1,159 1,277 1,316 1,355 1,394 1,433 1,472 1%
117,782 119,392 130,372 143,153 153,944 164,990 176,345 188,070 100%
Population Projections
People per acreIn 2018, the areas with the greatest population
densities tended to be centered near the Uni-
versity of Iowa Campus, in downtown Iowa City,
and along major metro arterial corridors such
as Highway 965, 2nd Street, and 1st Avenue in
Coralville.
A traffic analysis zone (TAZ) is the unit of geog-
raphy used in transportation modeling repre-
senting the area within which economic activity
occurs that results in the movement of people
and freight. The spatial extent of zones depict-
ed on these maps ranges from fairly large areas
in a suburban or rural context to as small as a
few city blocks in the central parts of Iowa City
where population densities are much higher.
Zone boundaries are typically roads includ-
ed in the network or natual features, such as
the Iowa River. Each zone includes base year
(2018) population and land use data. Local
planners then assigned anticipated polulation
and employment growth to zones within their
jurisdicitons for 2050. This information helps
to further our understanding of trips that will
be produced and attracted within the zone.
Significant population and housing growth is
expected in Tiffin, the west area of Coralville, in
North Liberty, and the periphery of Iowa City.
The greatest densities of population (people
per acre) in 2050 are expected near downtown
Iowa City. This is the result of local policies
aimed at increasing population density and re-
development in the central part of Iowa City.
To prepare for future population growth, a
new high school was opened in North Liber-
ty in the fall of 2017. Two new elementary
schools were opened on the south and east
periphery of Iowa City. Two additional new
elementary schools were recently built near
Highway 6 and Park Road in Tiffin, and an ad-
ditional middle school is planned for the same
site. Tiffin also recently constructed a new high
school and repurposed the old high school as
a middle school. Much of this investment in
school infrastructure has occurred in unde-
veloped “greenfields”, therefore it is expected
that these schools will be catalysts for housing
growth in the surrounding area.
2018 Population
Density
2050 Projection
People per acre
Not all households are considered families. Un-
der the U.S. Census Bureau definition, family
households consist of two or more individuals
who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption,
although they may also include other unrelated
persons.
Over half of the total metro area families with
children are located in Iowa City; 20% are locat-
ed in Coralville, and 24% in North Liberty. This is
roughly proportional to the population of metro
area communities.
Households located in auto-dependent locations, such as suburban
or rural locations, may spend upwards of 55% of their incomes on
transportation costs. Housing that is located closer to employment,
shopping, restaurants and other amenities can reduce household
transportation costs to as little as 9% of household income.1
Thoughtful coordination of land uses can lead to more efficient in-
vestments in road infrastructure and reduce transportation costs for
households. Zoning for higher residential densities along transit routes
and in areas surrounding employment centers allows more people to
access transit, especially those with lower household incomes.
1 FHWA Transportation and Housing Costs Fact Sheet.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/livability/fact_sheets/transandhousing.cfm
Iowa City
51%
5,850 familiesCoralville
20%
2,224 families
North Liberty
24%
2,771 families
Tiffin
4%
491 families
University
Heights
1%
124 families
The proportion of families with children
under 18 has shifted since the 2045 Long-
Range Transportation Plan was drafted. At
that time 54% of metro area families with
children lived in Iowa City, 22% in Coralville,
20% in North Liberty, and 3% in Tiffin.
Source: American Community Survey, 2015-2019 5-year estimates. $49,075 $60,321 $83,949 $78,713 $68,533 $62,542 $60,523 Iowa City Coralville North
Liberty
Tiffin University
Heights
Johnson
County
State of
Iowa
Source: American Community Survey, 2015-2019 5-year estimates
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
$0
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
Total all occupationsOffice and Administrative SupportFood Preparation and Serving RelatedHealthcare Practitioners and TechnicalEducational Instruction and LibrarySales and RelatedTransportation and Material MovingManagementProductionHealthcare SupportBusiness and Financial OperationsConstruction and ExtractionBuilding and Grounds Cleaning andMaintenanceInstallation, Maintenance, and RepairPersonal Care and ServiceComputer and MathematicalLife, Physical, and Social ScienceCommunity and Social ServiceArchitecture and EngineeringArts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, andMediaProtective ServiceLegalSource: Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, 2021. Data dependent on last outreach.
1. University of Iowa
2. University of Iowa Hosptial and Clinics
3. Veterans Administration Hosptial
4. Iowa City Community School District
5. ACT Inc.
6. Pearson
7. Mercy Hospital
8. Vangent
9. City of Iowa City
10. MediRev
The graph above shows the composition of the local workforce in the urbanized area along with
the percentage of workers by industry in relation to the mean income for that industry. From left
to right, the graph shows the industries with the greatest to least share of the total workforce (the
orange line). The mean salary for each industry is represented by the blue columns.
The top (5) sectors of employment in the urbanized area are:
•Office and Administrative Support
•Food Preparation and Serving Related
•Healthcare Practioners and Technical
•Educational Instruction and Library
•Sales and Related
The greatest density of employment is locat-
ed in central Iowa City where the University
of Iowa campus and the main UIHC hospital
are located. The bulk of metro area commer-
cial retail is concentrated along Highway 6 and
Coral Ridge Avenue (Hwy 965) in Coralville.
The greatest density of industrial uses is locat-
ed in southeastern Iowa City along Highway
6 and north of Penn Street in North Liberty.
There is a cluster of office park employment in
northeast Iowa City near Interstate 80 (ACT Inc
campus, Pearson campus, and the Northgate
Office Park) and in the Oakdale Research Park
near Coral Ridge Avenue in Coralville.
2018 Commercial
Density 2050 Projection
By 2050, North Liberty will experience a significant increase in
employment density along Ranshaw Way/Highway 965, Kansas
Avenue, and Penn Street. This employment density continues
south into Coralville along Coral Ridge Avenue.
In Iowa City, the area along Highway 1, north of I-80, and adja-
cent to the Riverfront Crossings along Gilbert Street, will see an
increase in jobs.
2022-2050
Proposed infrastructure projects are expected to support the
projected population and associated employment growth as
shown in the level of service maps on pages 72-73. If planned
road/bridge projects are completed, peak hour congestion near
these areas of economic growth is minimal with stable traffic
flow.
2050 Projection
Transportation and land use are inextricably
connected. The density of development and
mix of land uses and other features shape the
transportation needs and habits of area res-
idents. Higher-density mixed-use areas tend
to be associated with greater use of alterna-
tive modes of transportation—modes other
than personal vehicles. Transit tends to be
more feasible and desirable in densely built,
compact areas, where large numbers of peo-
ple can be served efficiently. Ride sharing also
becomes more feasible in compact areas as
there is a greater likelihood of individuals trav-
eling to and from similar locations. Car trips
tend to be shorter as retail and other services
are located nearby.Based on current growth trends, the metro area will
need to add more than 30,000 new units of housing
(58% increase) by 2050 in order to support popula-
tion growth. Households per acre2018 Housing Density
Source: 2018/2050 MPOJC Travel Demand Model.
Assumes population/housing unit growth rates remain constant.Households per acre33,254 2.24 44,750 2.30 11,496 34.6%54.7%
8,804 2.34 12,956 2.25 4,152 47.2%15.8%
7,402 2.48 17,850 2.33 10,448 141.2%21.8%
1,298 2.32 5,578 2.30 4,280 329.7%6.8%
541 2.23 639 2.30 98 18.1%0.8%
TOTAL 51,299 2.32 81,773 2.30 30,474
Housing Projections
Note: Iowa City does not classify duplex (two-family) units as
multi-family housing, therefore dulplexes are not reflected on
the Iowa City portion of the map, though they are included for
other communities.
Multi-family housing (apartments, townhomes, and duplex-
es) has long been an important housing option in the metro
area, where approximately half of all residents rent.Multi-family
housing provides short-term housing for university and college
students and a more affordable option for younger households
and households with modest incomes, including retirees. It is
an increasingly popular option for workforce housing, especial-
ly for those young professionals who prefer to live close to their
place of employment or in active downtown centers.
Levels of traffic and congestion that occur where jobs cluster
within employment centers can be mitigated whn multi-fami-
ly housing is provided nearby. This allows the opportunity for
workers to live close to employment making them more likely
to walk, bike, or use transit to commute to work. Moreover,
multi-family housing is necessary to achieve the housing den-
sities required to support public transportation, reduce public
infrastructure costs, and provide the level of housing necces-
sary to support growth.
When comparing the 5-year periods 2010-
2014 and 2015-2019, permits for multi-fam-
ily housing units increased significantly in
Coralville (+566%) and Tiffin (+211%). Compar-
ing these same 5-year periods, Iowa City had
a 125% increase in housing unit permits, ap-
proving more multi-family unit permits than all
other metro communities combined.
Tiffin is the only community where single-family
building permits increased during 2015-2019
over the previous 5-year period. In Tiffin, sin-
gle-family permits increased more than 300%.
Data from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) shows no permits
from University Heights but the development
of One University Place brought approximately
110 multi-family units in 2016.
Source: State of the Cities Building Permit Data System, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
1,804
3,351
451
1,586 1,231
252 584 658
Single Family Mulit-Family Single Family Mulit-Family Single Family Mulit-Family Single Family Mulit-Family
Iowa City Coralville North Liberty Tiffin
153 59 40 0 136 0 13 16
126 99 71 122 157 20 23 54
223 176 77 10 136 20 19 18
219 479 66 0 71 47 34 0
226 219 89 75 162 93 19 72
151 537 29 109 126 0 35 148
263 817 18 370 120 0 36 139
213 305 19 334 178 0 120 26
132 189 25 467 73 51 151 108
98 471 17 99 72 21 134 77
1,804 3,351 451 1,586 1,231 252 584 658
947 1,032 343 207 662 180 108 160
857 2,319 108 1,379 569 72 476 498
-90 1,287 -235 1,172 -93 -108 368 338
-9.5%124.7%-68.5%566.2%-14.0%-60.0%340.7%211.3%
1,483 1,2422,0375,155
As a result of the large student population
attending the University of Iowa, the ur-
banized area has proportionally more res-
idents between ages 20 and 24 than oth-
er urbanized areas in the state. However,
each jurisdiction within the metro area has
a slightly different age composition that is
influenced, in part, by its proximity to the
university campus.
In general, Iowa City’s population de-
mographics are dominated by the 20 to
24-year-old age bracket, reflecting the col-
lege student population around the central
campus. Over 50% of Iowa City’s popula-
tion falls between the ages of 18 and 34.
Located away from the University campus,
North Liberty’s age composition is defined
by families with young children, with 20% of
the population under 10 years old and 40%
between the ages of 25 and 44.
Tiffin is similar in that 18% of its population
is under age 10 and adults between ages
25 and 44 years make up 25% of its pop-
ulation.
Coralville’s age composition falls some-
where in between, with its population
more evenly distributed across age ranges.
About 32% of its population is between the
ages of 25 and 44 years.
To illustrate the magnitude of cost burden in
the urbanized area, the chart above compares
the median gross rent in each MPO commu-
nity (2019) versus 30% of the mean full-time
wages for the two industries with the largest
workforces: Office & Administrative Support
and Food Preparation & Serving. Combined,
these two sectors employ 1 in 5 workers in
the urbanized area. The food service industry
had the lowest mean salary of any sector at
$24,928 in 2019. The office and administrative
sector employs the largest proportion of work-
ers in the urbanized area at 12%, with a mean
salary of $40,137.
Rental Housing in
the Metro Area
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual publication Out of Reach
2020 provides data on housing affordability for metropolitan areas, counties,
and states. In Johnson County, the hourly wage needed to afford a 2-bed-
room rental unit at Fair Marker Rent (FMR) is $19.44—this is based on 30% of
the median full-time wage, which is an annual salary of $40,440. According to
data from the Iowa Wage Report, average salaries for 8 of the 21 employment
sectors in Johnson County are not high enough to afford the fair market rent
on a two-bedroom unit in Johnson County. These 8 employment sectors ac-
count for over half of all employees in the County (see chart on page 14).
Source: American Community Survey, 2019, 1-year estimates age and sex.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Generation Z (2000-2015)
19.5%
Millennials (1983-2000)
36.3%
Generation X (1963-1983)
21.9%
Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
13.9%
FemaleMale 80+(before 1946)
2.9%
Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is an estimate of the miles traveled by all vehicles within a specific
region each year. VMT has generally trended upward since the Great Recession of 2008. Despite
a steep drop-off in VMT during 2020 due to COVID-19. A number of factors influence VMT includ-
ing income, vehicle ownership by household, number and length of trips, costs of transportation
(in time and money), demographic changes, and the built environment.
VMT helps us understand generally how trends in vehicle use and congestion change over time.
VMT is also used to calculate the environmental effect of the transportation system, such as
greenhouse gas emission estimates.
At the local level, Tiffin and North Liberty’s population and VMT continue to grow at significantly
faster rates than other metro communities. Both have higher vehicle commuting rates because
they have further distances to travel to get to major employment centers and other regional
destinations. Compared to the State of Iowa, our metro region is experiencing larger increases
in VMT year to year.
According to the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS), 72.8% of workers who live in the
metro area commute by personal vehicle. Of those, 66.5% drive alone while 9.1% carpool. Just
over 18% of commuters use active forms of transportation: 11.2% of residents walk to work;
and 6.9% use public transportation. Note that the ACS no longer tracks bicycling to work.
The percentage of respondents who rely on private vehicles for transportation to work has
increased slightly since 2015. This may be due, in part, to the retail price of gasoline, which
remained above $3.00/gallon during 2011-2014. Another factor may the be rapid population
growth in the north corridor where Tiffin and North Liberty have outpaced other metro com-
munities.
6%
of households in the
Metro Planning Area do
not have access to a car.
Source: Iowa DOT (https://iowadot.gov/maps/Data/Vehicle-miles-traveled)
10%
4%
13%
9%
-1%
Iowa City Coralville North
Liberty
Tiffin University
Heights
633,264
614,603
604,811
645,139
660,194
650,226
699,828
705,937 702,664
606,529
Source: US Energy Information Administration eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel
32%
Of University Heights
workers walk to work;
<50% of workers
drive to work.95%
of workers in North
Liberty and Tiffin
travel to work by car,
truck, or van.
Workers 16 years and older 41,772 11,254 11,075 1,928 610 66,639 1,587,322
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION TO WORK
Car, truck, or van 68.0%85.0%95.0%95.0%47.0%72.8%89.3%
Drove alone 58.9%74.7%83.6%91.6%46.1%66.5%81.1%
Carpooled 8.7%10.0%11.0%3.3%1.1%9.1%8.3%
Public transportation (except taxis)8.7%7.1%0.9%0.2%6.7%6.9%1.1%
Walked 14.3%3.6%0.7%0.3%31.8%11.2%3.5%
Other means 5.1%1.1%0.8%0.3%11.3%3.6%1.4%
Worked at home 4.2%3.6%3.0%4.3%3.0%3.9%4.9%
17.0 18.7 24.3 19.5 15.3 19.0 19.3
No vehicle available 7.4%3.2%0.4%0.1%6.1%
1 vehicle available 28.3%24.0%19.9%21.1%22.5%
2 vehicles available 43.1%47.1%57.8%51.1%47.9%
3 or more vehicles available 21.3%25.8%21.9%27.7%23.6%
Source: 2019 ACS 5-Yr Data
Vehicle Miles Traveled (1000's of miles)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Iowa City 319,489 317,831 309,788 322,448 328,790 326,826 360,781 360,705 360,877 313,724
Coralville 232,576 217,004 216,616 234,896 240,699 234,794 241,738 245,645 243,356 209,131
North Liberty 46,672 46,410 45,080 49,700 51,647 51,777 58,684 59,978 58,605 50,298
Tiffin 30,812 29,653 29,742 34,336 35,206 33,031 34,790 35,839 36,071 30,090
University Heights 3,715 3,705 3,585 3,759 3,852 3,798 3,835 3,770 3,755 3,286
Metro 633,264 614,603 604,811 645,139 660,194 650,226 699,828 705,937 702,664 606,529
Many metro area residents live in one com-
munity but travel daily to another communi-
ty for work. Iowa City and Coralville draw the
greatest percentage of workers from adjacent
communities within the metro. Linn County is
also a major draw for workers from the metro
area. As shown on page 26, more than 9,000
workers who live in Johnson County work in
Linn County, and over 9,600 workers who live
in Linn County work in Johnson County.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, On The Map Application and LEHD
Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter
Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2002-2018).
Nearly half of workers employed in
Johnson County live outside the county.
47,650 54.5%
9,657 11.1%
3,241 3.7%
2,292 2.6%
2,102 2.4%
2,038 2.3%
1,882 2.2%
1,469 1.7%
1,099 1.3%
842 1.0%
15,111 17.3%
45.5%
Nearly a third of workers living in Johnson
County are employed in other counties.
47,560 67.9%
9,172 13.1%2,235 3.2%
9,172 13.3%
1,155 1.6%
962 1.4%
931 1.3%
842 1.2%
681 1.0%
517 0.7%
484 0.7%
5,392 7.7%
Guiding Principles
Average Housing + Transportation Costs as Percent of Household Income
The statistics for communities are mod-
eled for the Typical Regional Household
in Johnson County:
Income: $55,842
Commuters: 1.25 vehicles
Household Size: 2.38 people
Total driving costs budget: $8,376/yr.
Rent or mortgage is considered un-
affordable when it exceeds 30% of
annual household income. Likewise,
transportation costs are considered
unaffordable when they exceed 15%
of annual household income.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #1
Economic Opportunity
Supports growth, innovation, job creation, and productivity
An efficient, reliable, and accessible transportation network is essential for fostering econom-
ic opportunity—a network that connects suppliers with producers; businesses with workers
and customers; and people with employment centers, education, and essential services. A true
multi-modal transportation network, where all modes of transportation are provided, offers flex-
ibility to support a variety of industries and businesses.
In many ways, the transportation system in the Iowa City Urbanized Area performs very well.
Geographically, the region benefits from being situated at the crossroads of Interstates 80 and
380, Highway 1, and Highway 6. Local efforts have resulted in one of the most heavily utilized
public transit systems in the country (ridership per capita). The adopted Complete Streets policy
along with a cooperative approach to regional trail planning has helped to establish a compre-
hensive bicycle and pedestrian network. The area is also served by the Iowa Interstate Railroad
and CRANDIC Railroad, with the CRANDIC line ideally located for potential future passenger ser-
vice between major employment centers in Coralville and North Liberty and the University of
Iowa’s central campus and hospital in Iowa City.
When compared with peer communities, the region boasts minimal congestion on roadways as
shown by very low delays per auto commuter—at 30% less than the national average (Source:
2019 American Community Survey). Maintaining minimal road congestion, and providing access
to job centers of the future will be a key component to ensuring economic opportunity through-
out the region.
Strategies to Enhance Economic Opportunity:
•Focus transportation dollars to areas of greatest need.
•Direct investments towards areas that encounter significant congestion.
•Encourage use of intelligent transportation technologies and efficient intersection design to improve corri-
dor efficiency.
•Expand and improve multi-modal access to employment.
•Perform transportation engineering evaluations to aid in maximizing efficiency at spot locations.
•Facilitate the annual Traffic Signal Timing program and provide updated signal timing recommendations at
all signalized intersections at least once every five years.
ECONOMY
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Located along and north of Oakdale Boulevard in
Coralville, the University of Iowa Research Park is
home to 15 companies with an additional 16 incuba-
tor tenants located in the BioVentures Center. These
businesses employ approximatley 2,000 workers. Addi-
tional office development adjacent to the research park
includes UI Healthcare Support Services (900 employ-
ees) and Sedgwick (200 employees). A $395-million UI
Healthcare facility, now under construction at the cor-
ner of Coral Ridge Avenue and Forevergreen Road in
North Liberty, is expected to open in 2025 and will be
a large economic generator in this area of the metro.An illustration of the Univerisity of Iowa Hospital Center now under construction at the intersection of Coral Ridge Avenue and Forevergreen
Road in North Liberty. Photo courtesy Neumann Monson Architects.
2018
Source: American Community
Survey 2019: 5 yr estimates
Metro Area com-
munities enjoy
lower than average
commute times as
compared to the na-
tional average (26.9
minutes) .
17.0
18.7
24.3
19.5
15.3
19.3
IOWA CITYCORALVILLENORTHLIBERTYTIFFINUNIVERSITYHEIGHTSIOWADESIRED
TREND
2017
BASELINE
DATA
2022 PLAN
DATA
CURRENT
TREND
↓18.5 min 18.5 min No change
↑N/A 81.0%New Measure
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
GOAL
Supports growth, innovation, job creation, and productivity
OBJECTIVES
Invest in technologies and designs that improve corridor efficiency.
Improve multi-modal access to employment centers.
Household Transit
Access Percent of metro households within 1/4 mile of transit route
Travel Time to Work Average travel time for all workers in the metro
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #2
Environment
Preserves and protects our natural resources, including land, water, and air
Transportation, land use, and development patterns have a signficant impact on our environ-
ment. While the MPO has prioritized preserving and improving existing transportation infrastruc-
ture to address congestion and safety issues, the long-range plan considers more broadly how
to minimize these issues as the metro area grows.
Land use patterns have a profound impact on the type and design of transportation infrastruc-
ture and determine the feasibility of alternative travel modes. While it is important to recognize
differences in local and regional land use planning and economic development objectives, align-
ing land use with transportation goals is an essential step in addressing many environmental and
transportation concerns.
•Using land efficiently conserves farmland and helps to avoid environmentally sensitive areas,
such as wetlands and woodlands, which in turn preserve water quality and reduce flooding
impacts. Limiting or prohibiting development in sensitive areas also preserves opportunities
for recreation and scenic views that enhance quality of life and economic development in
our communities.
•Encouraging compact development with well-connected street patterns that support active
and alternative forms of transportation, such as transit, helps to reduce travel demand by
reducing the length and number of trips necessary to meet daily needs.
•Mixed use development at appropriate locations can reduce travel times and distances for
residents to access their daily needs.
•Locating residential areas near destinations like employment centers, schools, and shopping
can reduce the length and number of trips a household must make each day.
Attention to the natural and social environment should be demonstrated during transportation
project planning and development. Projects included in the LRTP are often years away from final
design. While detailed environmental review may not be feasible at the earliest stages of the
planning process, the MPO can help identify potential impacts to natural and historic resources
which in turn helps to ensure that transportation projects have minimal impacts on the environ-
ment.
During project prioritization (when the MPO organized and scored projects submitted for inclu-
sion in this Plan) projects that preserve the natural environment through stormwater manage-
ment and / or system preservation are given more points and prioritized over projects that lack
these components.
While pollutant emissions from motor vehi-
cles have dropped dramatically over the last
three decades, air quality problems remain a
concern in metropolitan areas, due in part
to increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
Research has linked air pollution with public
health problems and led the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish
lower thresholds for acceptable levels of
air pollution. Climate change has focused
attention on the environmental impacts of
the transportation sector, which contributes
more than 25% of our nation’s greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions.1
Substantial reduction in VMT can be achieved
through land use changes. Compact devel-
opment can reduce the need to drive by 20-
40%, as compared with traditional suburban
development patterns, resulting in a 7-10%
reduction in CO2 transportation related
emissions by 2050.2
The term “compact development” does not
mean high-rise or even uniformly high den-
sity, but rather higher average “blended”
densities. Compact development may be
achieved with a blend of densities and a mix
of land uses, population and employment
centers, interconnected streets, and short
block lengths.
1. Source: U.S. DOT Transportation and Climate
Change Clearinghouse https://climate.dot.gov/about/
transportations-role/overview.html.
2. Source: “Growing Cooler: The Evidence for Urban De-
velopment and Climate Change.” Urban Land Institute.
R. Ewing, et. al. (2007)
Federal code outlines requirements for MPOs regarding environmental
consultation. During project development, MPOJC encourages its member
entities to strive to avoid or minimize any detrimental effects that transpor-
tation projects may have on the environment. The MPO encourages mem-
ber entities to follow the steps used to define mitigation in Title 40: Code of
Federal Regulations, 1508.20 (Mitigation), which are:
1. Avoid the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of
an action
2. Minimize impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action
and its implementation
3. Rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the
affected environment
4. Reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and
maintenance operations during the life of the action
5. Compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute
resources or environments
Avoiding negative impacts to the environment should always be a primary
goal during project implementation. When this cannot be achieved, mini-
mizing impacts and compensating for those impacts that cannot be avoid-
ed helps to ensure that negative environmental externalities are factored
into the costs of a project.
To help understand potential environmental impacts of transportation
projects, MPOJC consults with the following local, regional, and statewide
organizations that have an interest in environmental issues in the Metro
Area:
•Iowa Department of Natural Resources
•Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation
•Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development
•Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
•Johnson County Environmental Advocates
•Bur Oak Land Trust
•Iowa Corps of Engineers
•Iowa City Sierra Club
•Project Green
To ensure that local transportation projects/policies adhere to the
principles of environmental justice, the maps on pages 12, 13, and
52 illustrate social and environmental factors that will be considered
during the development of transportation projects. These figures
provide general information; more detailed investigations of specif-
ic project impacts will be analyzed during the project-level studies
and subsequent National Environmental Protection Agency (ZNEPA)
processes.
Strategies to Safeguard the Environment:
•Avoid impacts to environmentally sensitive features, such as
woodlands and wetlands, early in the planning process when
planning for new infrastructure.
•Expand context sensitive and sustainable solutions in the plan-
ning and design of transportation infrastructure to help mini-
mize impacts on water quality and flooding.
•Continue to monitor National Ambient Air Quality Standard-
thresholds for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and improve air
quality when possible.
•Support the increased use of Electric Vehicles and improve ac-
cess to charging infrastructure.
•Integrate land use and economic development goals with trans-
portation planning. Encourage and support land use plans and
policies to enhance overall transportation efficiency, including
compact and mixed use development.
•Follow the adopted MPO “Complete Streets” Policy.
•Support entities in their efforts to incorporate resilience into
planning: both in terms of transportation infrastructure and
community engagement.
ENVIRONMENT
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
DESIRED
TREND
2017
BASELINE
DATA
2022 PLAN
DATA
CURRENT
TREND
↑1.40 1.60 ↑
↓660,194 (1000s
of miles)
702,664 (1000s
of miles)↑
↓9.04 (2013)8.87 (2019)↓
↑N/A 36 (2021)New
Measure
Integrate Electric Vehicle readiness into planning efforts, including transportation plans and sustainable communities' strategies.
Reduce pollution emissions, including CO2.
Encourage and support land use plans and policies to ehance overall transportation efficiency, including compact and mixed use
development and street connectivity.
OBJECTIVES
Improve access to Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure through policies, partnerships, and initiatives that encourage the adoption of EVs.
Continue to monitor National Ambient Air Quality Standard thresholds for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and improve air quality when
possible.
GOAL
Preserves and protects our natural resources including land, water, and air
EV Charging
Annual average concentration of Particulate
Matter (PM) 2.5 in Johnson County
Total number of public EV charging stations in
the metro area
Air Quality
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Housing Density Metro area housing units per acre
Vehicle Miles Traveled Annual VMT (1000s of miles)
Strategies to Enhance Quality of Life:
•Plan for and enhance connectivity between existing neighborhoods, jobs, and local
services.
•Provide accessible, safe, and low-stress solutions in all transportation modes.
•Encourage coordinated land use and transportation planning to maximize opportuni-
ty for alternative modes of transportation.
•Promote mobility technology.
•Incorporate safety factors in transportation planning for all modes.
•Support Complete Streets designs and recommendations.
•Ensure pedestrian-friendly streets and access to recreational trails.
•Design with seniors and children in mind.
•Support efforts in areas with high growth/high density development potential that
justify transportation infrastructure investments.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #3
Quality of Life
Enhances livability and creates vibrant and appealing places that serve
residents throughout their lives
Transportation affects the daily life of every resident in the metropolitan area. When poorly de-
signed, transportation infrastructure may act as a barrier, isolating neighborhoods and limiting
access to community destinations. As a result, travel may require more time, effort, or expense.
On the other hand, a well-designed transportation network enhances all travel modes, enabling
residents to fully participate in the social and economic life of their neighborhood and commu-
nity.
Quality of Life benefits of transportation are often difficult to measure quanititatively. Low-stress
travel routes with few conflict points and reliable speeds can determine whether daily commutes
are frustrating or pleasant experiences. Access to multiple modes of transportion can enhance
mobility for those too young or too old to drive and for those with disabilities. Streets and trails
that are attractive and safe for all users can encourage social interaction, build neighborhood
cohesion, and benefit the physical health and well-being of area residents.
Transportation planning should consider the diverse needs of the community while reflecting a
vision for how the community hopes to grow. While investment is most often targeted to gener-
ate growth in jobs, housing, and business opportunities, our transportation network should also
ensure safe, reliable, clean, and healthy travel experiences for everyone.
QUALITY OF LIFE
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
DESIRED
TREND
2017
BASELINE
DATA
2022 PLAN
DATA
CURRENT
TREND
GOAL
Enhances livability and creates vibrant and appealing places that serve residents throughout their lives
OBJECTIVES
Reduce travel delay to work.
Provide access to the trail network.
Provide access to transit service.
Ensure complete streets with ADA compliant sidewalks and curb ramps.
83%↑Trail Access
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Percentage of metro area households within 1/4
mile of a trail system.↑80%
Each new lane-mile constructed will require
regular maintenance while in service. The more
lane-miles a system has, the higher the overall
maintenance costs. In addition to maintaining
the pavement surface, additional miles of road
also increase costs for snow removal, striping,
signange, and other operational activities that
keep a roadway functioning.
The cost of construction and repair of high-
ways in the U.S. has nearly doubled since 2003,
according to the FHWA.
Source: National Highway Construction Cost Index https://
www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/nhcci/pt1.cfm
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #4
System Preservation
Maintain existing facilities in good and reliable condition
Good quality roads and bridges are an important part of a reliable transportation system and
impact the daily commutes of drivers. With limited funding and an aging system, it is more im-
portant than ever to focus on preserving our existing roads and bridges through repair and
preventative maintenance. This Future Forward 2050 plan identifies strategies that focus on the
planning, maintenance, and financing of the area’s transportation system and equipment to en-
sure it remains in good and reliable condition.
Rehabilitating a road once it has deteriorated is substantially more expensive than maintaining
that road in good condition. According to the American Association of State Highway and Trans-
portation Officials, every $1 spent to keep a road in good condition avoids $6 to $14 to rebuild
the same road once it has deteriorated significantly. Prioritizing reconstruction and rehabilitation
over new construction is essential to keep our local transportation system in working order and
maximize the results from each dollar spent.
Source: Iowa DOT 2019-2028 Transportation Asset
Management Plan https://iowadot.gov/systems_plan-
ning/fpmam/IowaDOT-TAMP-2019.pdf
Stategies to Ensure System Preservation
•Use pavement condition index data to focus investments on those roadways classified as
being in poor condition.
•Prioritize maintenance of existing transportation facilities over system expansion.
•When possible, encourage transportation projects be built on a timetable consistent with
development or redevelopment projects.
•Promote transit oriented development to reduce system exapnsion, boost public transit
ridership, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SYSTEM PRESERVATION
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
* Indicates a performance measure required by the FHWA/FTA.
DESIRED
TREND
2017 BASELINE
DATA 2022 PLAN DATA TREND
↓20% (2015)9.0% (2019)↓
↑N/A 46.0% (metro) / 48.9% (state)
↓N/A 9.0% (metro) / 2.3% (state)
↑93% (2014)
State/Federal 97.0% (2019) State/Federal ↑
↑70% (2013) Local
Fed Aid Routes
86.0% (2019) Local Fed Aid
Routes ↑
↑N/A 100% (metro) n/a (state)
↓N/A 0% (metro) / n/a (state)
↑N/A 83.0% (metro) / 50.9% (state)
↓N/A 4.6% (metro) / 10.6% (state)
Cambus N/A
Coralville Transit 100% (2020)
Iowa City Transit 0% (2020)
Cambus 13.5% (2020)
Coralville Transit 60.0% (2020)
Iowa City Transit 26.1% (2020)
Cambus
Coralville Transit
Iowa City Transit
Cambus 0% (2020)
Coralville Transit 0% (2020)
Iowa City Transit
New Measure
New Measure
New Measure
New Measure
New Measure
New Measure
GOAL
Maintains exisiting facilities in good and reliable condition.
OBJECTIVES
Increase percent of bridges in GOOD condition.
Increase percent of roads in FAIR or better condition.
Extend the life of assets and vehicles in GOOD condition.
Prioritize maintenance of existing transportation facilities over system expansion.
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Percent of bridges (Iowa DOT, County, & City) in Johnson County
rated as being deficient
Percent of National Highway System bridges classified as being in
Good condition*
Percentage of National Highway System bridges classified as being
in Poor condition*
Bridges
Percent of Interstate system pavements in Good condition*
Percent of Interstate system pavements in Poor condition*
Percent of non-Interstate National Highway System pavements in
Good condition*
Pavement
Condition Index
Percent of non-Interstate National Highway System pavements in
Poor condition*
Percent of pavement measured at fair or better condition.
100% Transit Facility/Storage &
0% Transit Downtown Annex
and Court St Transportation
Center (2020)
↑N/A
↓N/A
↑
↓
N/A
N/A
Percent of non-revenue vehicles meet or
exceeded Useful Life*
Percent of revenue vehicles meet or exceeded
Useful Life*
Percent of track segments with performance
restrictions*
Percent of assets with condition rating below 3.0
on FTA TERM Scale*
Transit
N/A
The reconstruction of 5th Street was designed with transit, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities and offers a low-stress
alternative to 2nd Street in Coralville.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #5
Choice
Offers accessible and affordable multi-modal transportation options
Though a majority of adults rely on private motor vehicles for most daily trips, nearly everyone
uses additional modes to meet some of their needs, whether it is walking to a neighborhood
park, catching the bus to school or special events, or accessing a trail system for recreation.
For individuals who do not own or who have limited access to a private vehicle, what some call
“choice” is really a necessity. Transit or shared riding options are vital to economic opportunity
for residents with low incomes and those who cannot drive. For the elderly and people with
certain disabilities, transportation choice allows for full participation in community life and ac-
cess to services. Children and youth, a sizeable but often overlooked part of the population,
rely heavily on active transportation modes for independent access to schools, parks, and
social activities.
Because time and convenience are primary factors that influence how people travel, it follows
that transportation choices tend to be greater in areas where development is relatively com-
pact and destinations that serve residents’ daily needs are located close to housing. Higher
residential density is essential for efficient transit services. A comprehensive network of pedes-
trian and bicycle facilities help to expand transportation options and are an essential comple-
ment to transit services.Strategies to Ensure Transportation Choice:
•Ensure compliance with Complete Streets Policies and the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) requirements on all public street projects.
•Coordinate land use with transportation planning to optimize multi-modal options, focus-
ing investments around higher density development and compact, mixed use areas.
•Enhance access to activity centers (e.g. commercial areas, schools, recreation, and employ-
ment centers) by ensuring provision of transit service and safe, low-stress pedestrian and
bicycle facilities.
•Follow Federal Highway Administration, National Association of City Transportation Offi-
cials, and American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials best practices
when planning and implementing new streets.
•Explore opportunities to expand public transit across metro communities.
Even a busy, multi-lane road can be made more
hospitable to bicyclists and pedestrians. Well-de-
signed and attractively landscaped sidepaths
now extend along Coral Ridge Avenue. Medians
that include pedestrian refuge islands make
crossing easier, and separated grade crossings
pass under this busy roadway at two locations
in Coralville and two more in North Liberty (on
Ranshaw Way).
Operated by the East Central Iowa Council of
Governments with funding from the Iowa DOT,
the 380 Express Bus service is intended to pro-
vide a choice for commuters traveling between
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids during the recon-
struction of the I-80/380 interchange.
Planned grade crossing under Ranshaw Way
(Hwy 965) in North Liberty will open in 2022.
CHOICE
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
DESIRED
TREND
2017
BASELINE
DATA
2022 PLAN
DATA
CURRENT
TREND
↑14.9% (2015)19.4% (2019)↑
↑6.2 miles 13.1 miles ↑
↑N/A 54.0%New Measure
↓13.0 miles 13.0 miles No Change
↑N/A 81%New Measure
Sidewalk Deficit Roadway miles on which sidewalks are NOT provided.
Residential Density Percentage of households within 1/4 mile of transit route.
Mode Split Percentage of workers commuting via walk, bike, transit, or rideshare.
Bike Lane Mileage Centerlane miles of bike lanes.
Bike Facility Coverage Percentage of arterial street miles that include bike lanes or sidepaths.
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Coordinate land use with transportation planning to optimize multi-modal transportation, connectivity, and access.
Ensure a connected network of bikeways and pedestrian routes across the metro by expanding existing facilties, closing gaps, and eliminating barriers.
Plan for moderate to high-density residential development and mixed uses along arterial streets and transit corridors.
Apply complete streets policies, including ADA-compliant curb ramps, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and transit features to all roadway projects.
OBJECTIVES
GOAL
Offers accessible and affordable multi-modal transportation options
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #6
Safety
Enhances the safety of all users through a well-designed/maintained
transportation network
The safety of motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians is a top priority in transportation planning.
Motor vehicle collisions result in premature deaths and serious injuries, and are a cause of major
economic losses and disruptions to the transportation system. Safety concerns can also discour-
age residents from utilizing active transportation such as bicycling, walking, and transit.
Planning for transportation safety is a comprehensive, multi-modal process that integrates safety
into decision-making. MPOJC supports these processes through:
•Maintaining the metro collision report, which identifies problem intersections/midblock loca-
tions and suggested countermeasures
•Performing transportation engineering studies
•Conducting road safety audits
•Evaluating pedestrian and bicycle accommodations
•Inventorying ADA facilities - sidewalks, curb ramps, transit stops
•Reviewing traffic signal timings and operations
•Assisting MPO entities with safety-related grant funding applications
Grant funding scoring criteria used by the MPO Urbanized Area Policy Board helps support safe-
ty initiatives by placing a greater weight on capital infrastructure projects that address document-
ed safety issues.
From 2016 to 2020, metro area population increased 2% while metro vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
increased by 6%. During the same period, overall collisions increased by 11%:, fatal collisions in-
creased by 33%, and serious injury collisions decreased by approximately 41%. The reduction in
serious injury collisions could be attributed to a variety of factors such as infrastructure safety
and efficiency improvements, intelligent transportation systems, in-vehicle technologies (such as
air bags and braking systems), and educational outreach campaigns.
CollisionsMetro Area
Source: Iowa Department of Transportation SAVER: 2011-2015 and 2016-2020 comparison.
Note: There were 5 collision fatalities in the Urbanized Area in the most recent 5-year period and 3 fatalities in
the previous 5-year period.
2011-2015 and 2016-2020 comparison
During the 5-year period 2016-2020, motorist collisions
attributed to distracted driving increased by 155% over
the previous 5-year period. Of the distracted driver
collisions, 43% were caused by drivers under the age of
24. The increase in distracted driving collisions represents
a major safety challenge and places drivers, passengers,
and more vulnerable road users at an increased risk of
serious injury or death. During this same 5-year period,
collisions attributed to drug or alcohol use increased by
5%.
1. Hwy 6 & S Gilbert St (Iowa City)
2. Hwy 6 & Sycamore St (Iowa City)
3. Hwy 6 & Boyrum St (Iowa City)
4. Oakdale Blvd & Coral Ridge Ave (Coralville)
5. Burlington St & Gilbert St (Iowa City)
6. 2nd St & 1st Ave (Coralville)
7. Riverside Dr & Hwy 1 & Hwy 6 (Iowa City)
8. Burlington St & Madison St (Iowa City)
9. Kansas Ave & Penn St (North Liberty)
10. Riverside Dr & Benton St (Iowa City)
1. 2nd St between 1st Ave & Hawkins Dr/Rocky Shore Dr (Coralville)
2. 2nd St between 25th Ave & 23rd Ave (Coralville)
3. 2nd St between 4th Ave & 1st Ave (Coralville)
4. Hwy 6 between Valley Ave & N Riverside Dr (Iowa City)
5. 2nd St between Camp Cardinal Blvd & 20th Ave (Coralville)
Pedestrian collisions decreased 2%;
bicycle collisions increased by 16%.
It is important to take these numbers in context. While
data from the US Census indicate the number of people
walking to work has held steady, the census no longer
collects data on bicycling to work. However, based on MPO
trail counts and intersection counts, we know that more
people are bicycling and walking for recreation.
43%
of distracted driving
collisions attributed
to drivers who are
<24 years of age.
Vehicle Miles Traveled
increased
Fatalities increased
Serious injuries decreased
Between 2015 and 2019, the share of bike and
pedestrian commuters fell by 5% and 1.5%
respectively. While there was a decrease in
the share of commuters traveling to work by
bicyle or on foot since 2015, bicycle collisions
increased 16%. During this same period and
there was an 11% decrease in pedestrian col-
lisions.
Overall, Metro area collisions have trended
upward by 11% since 2016. Between 2016
and 2020, there were 5 fatal collisions involv-
ing bicyclists or pedestrians. All five fatalities
occurred on higher-speed roadways. Four
fatal collisions occurred where bicycle and pe-
destrian facilties are not provided and where
speed limts are 50 MPH or higher.
* Performance measures required by Federal Highway Administration or the Federal Transit Administration.
DESIRED
TREND BASELINE 2021 PLAN DATA TREND
↓24 (metro)15 (metro) / 342 (state)↓
↓0.76 (metro)0.44 (metro) / 1.019 (state)↓
↓127 (metro)134 (metro) / 1,420 (state)↑
↓4.02 (metro)3.93 (metro) / 4.23 (state)↓
↓32 (metro)40 (metro)/132.6 (state)↑
↓1.016 1.187 ↑
↓170 198 (metro)↑
↓154 152 (metro)↓
Rate of fatalities per 100 million
vehicle miles traveled (VMT)*
Fatalities
Bicycle Collisions Total Collisions (5-year total)
Pedestrian
Collisions Total Collisions (5-year total)
Number of serious injury accidents*
(5-year total)
Rate of serious injury collisions per
100 million VMT*
Nonmotorized
Fatalities/Injuries
Serious Injuries
Number of non-motorized
fatalities/serious injuries* (5-year
total)
Rate of non-motorized fatalities and
serious injuries per 100 million VMT
OBJECTIVES
Reduce the number and frequency of serious injury collisions.
Continue to decrease the number of bicycle collisions.
Provide access to transit service.
Ensure complete streets with sidewalks and ADA complaint curb ramps.
Enhances the safety of all users through a well-designed and maintained transportation network
GOAL
DEFINITION
Number of motor vehicle fatalities*
(5-year total)
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE
SAFETY
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
PERFORMANCE MEASURES GUIDING PRINCIPLE #7
Efficiency
Builds a well-connected transportation network with coordinated land use patterns to reduce travel demand and delay, miles traveled, and energy consumption
An efficient transportation network is essential in order to support the economy and livability
of the metro area. The ease with which people, goods, and services move across the metro
area is perhaps the most perceptible hallmark of a healthy transportation system. An inefficient
transportation network with excessive congestion, delays, indirect routes, and few transportation
choices limits mobility, increases frustration for users, and increases costs in terms of time, delay,
fuel consumption, and vehicle emissions.
Improving the efficiency of our transportation network should be a multi-faceted approach
whereby we seek to promote shared mobility by improving access to transit, reduce barriers
to active transportation, promote land use patterns that support efficient movement of goods
and services, and make smart investments in infrastructure, intelligent transportation systems,
and intersection design. Priority should be given to transportation infrastructure projects that
improve the efficiency of the existing network for all modes of transportation.
Vehicular Traffic Congestion
According to the 2018 MPOJC Travel Demand Model, the metro area has relatively few areas of
major congestion—Level of Service (LOS) E or F. There are, however, daily bottlenecks during
peak travel periods at several locations.
In 2018, 2% of roads during the AM peak hour and 5% of roads during the PM peak hour are con-
sidered congesting or significantly congested (LOS D, E, or F). By 2050, it is expected that these
numbers increase to 13% in the AM peak hour and 15% in the PM peak hour if no additional
capacity investments are made to the network. If planned investments are made as proposed by
local entities, the metro area can reduce the miles of roadway that are congesting or significantly
congested by 2050 to 10% during the AM peak hour and 13% during the PM peak hour. For more
information on road network congestion please see the Level of Service section beginning on
page 71 in the Road and Bridge Network chapter.
By 2050:
without the additional planned capacity
investments included in this plan:
13% of roads during the AM peak hour
and 15% of roads during the PM peak
hour are expected to be congesting or
significantly congested
with planned investments:
10% of roads during the AM peak hour
and 13% during the PM peak hour are
expected to be congesting or significantly
congested.
Created by Bence Bezeredy, from Noun Project.
In 2020
Less than 1% of roads were significantly
congested during both AM and PM peak
* Performance measures required by Federal Highway Administration or the Federal Transit Administration.
Strategies to Improve Safety:
•Produce metro area collision reports and recommend counter-
measures.
•Provide transportation engineering services upon request to
member entities.
•Provide information on top collision trends such as distracted or
impaired driving, and incidents involving bicycles and pedestrians.
•Provide recommendations for facilities based on Statewide Urban
Design Standards, Federal Highway Administration, National Asso-
ciation of City Transportation Officials, and American Association
of State Highway Transportation Officials best practice.
•Produce road, pedestrian, and bicycle safety audits as requested
by member entities.
•Assist the Policy Board in evaluating safety considerations during
the grant funding process.
•Assist MPO entities in identifying and applying for safety related
grant funds.
•Assist in development of Traffic Incident Management Plans.
•Partner with local and state agencies on safety education and
outreach campaigns to address safety issues such as distracted
and imparied driving.
TRANSIT
SYSTEM SERVICE
DESIRED
TREND TREND
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
Fixed Route Bus
Demand Response
New Measure
New Measure
New Measure
New Measure
DEFINITION
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE
0
0
50000 per VRM
12500 per VRM
8140 per VRM
68456 per VRM
35000 per VRM
68456 per VRM
6 injuries / 0.9 per 100 k VRM
1 injury / 0 per 100 k VRM
1 injury / 0.5 per 100 k VRM
1 injury / 0.1 per 100 k VRM
2 injuries / 0.28 per 100 k VRM
1 injury / 0.1 per 100 k VRM
75 events / 10 per 100 k VRM
3 events / 5 per 100 k VRM
1 event / 0.5 per 100 k VRM
31 events / 0.1 per 100 k VRM
10 events / 1.43 per 100 k VRM
31 events / 0.1 per 100 k VRM
BASELINE
Cambus
0
Coralville
Transit
Cambus
Mean distance between major
mechanical failures by mode per
total vehicle revenue miles (VRM) by
mode*
Transit Safety Total number of reportable safety
events and rate per total vehicle
revenue miles (VRM) by mode.*
Iowa City
Transit
Coralville
Transit
Cambus
↑
No change
↓
↓
Coralville
Transit
Iowa City
Transit
Total number of reportable fatalities
and rate per total vehicle revenue
miles (VRM) by mode*
Total number of reportable injuries
and rate per total vehicle revenue
miles (VRM) by mode*
Iowa City
Transit
Iowa City Transit
Cambus
Coralville Transit
Strategies to Improve Network Efficiency:
•Encourage land-use patterns that support efficient movement of
goods, services, and people to reduce travel times, fuel consump-
tion, and vehicle emissions.
•Support multi-modal transportation by reducing obstacles for active
transportation or shared mobility.
•Facilitate the annual review of metro area traffic signal timings to im-
prove coordination and vehicle progression, thereby reducing travel
times in key arterial corridors.
•Provide traffic engineering expertise including multi-modal LOS
analyses.
EFFICIENCY
PERFORMANCE MEASURES GUIDING PRINCIPLE #8
Health
Invites and enhances healthy and active lifestyles
Historically, our transportation system was designed to move people and goods efficiently with
little regard to the impact on community health. Today there is growing awareness that trans-
portation systems exert a profound impact on quality of life and health. Walkable, bikeable, and
transit-oriented communities are associated with healthier populations that experience more
physical activity, lower rates of traffic injuries, and less air pollution..
The way cities are planned and designed is strongly associated with the resulting levels of physi-
cal activity and health on both individual and community levels. Land use patterns and transpor-
tation networks determine whether individuals or neighborhoods have access to the resources
and opportunities that are the foundation for leading healthy lives. The widespread availability of
trails, parks, playgrounds, and recreation are obvious. Less appreciated is the ease of connection
to healthcare, healthy food, mental health services, and social activity.
In order to plan for a regional transportation system that invites and enhances healthy and active
lifestyles, we look to build off of our multi-modal transportation options, generating active and
motorized transportation systems that are safe, well-maintained, and enhance connections to
important destinations.
The region’s transportation system influences public health four primary ways:
1. Active Transportation – People’s participation in active transportation (walking, bicycling,
and transit, to some degree) is influenced by the built and natural environment in which
they live. Transportation networks that encourage active transportation with continuous and
convenient sidewalks and crosswalks, bicycle facilities, and transit access can help people
increase their level of physical activity resulting in health benefits and disease prevention.
2. Safety – All road users should be safe with minimal risks of injury. Multi-modal transporta-
tion networks designed to consider all users can reduce conflicts and improve safety.
3. Air Quality – Air quality is an important component of transportation planning for communi-
ties, especially for at-risk groups including children and elderly persons. Increased numbers
of vehicle trips and vehicle miles traveled are associated with higher levels of air pollutants
resulting from vehicle emissions, which can negatively impact respiratory health.
4. Connectivity / Accessibility – The transportation network should allow people to efficient-
ly access the places they need in order to live a healthy and active lifestyle such as grocery
stores, employment centers, hospitals, recreation facilities, and schools.
Active transportation is associated
with many positive health outcomes:
•Active commuting that incorporates cycling
and walking is associated with an 11% reduc-
tion in cardiovascular risk.
•Active transportation as part of everyday travel
is as effective as structured workouts for im-
proving health.
•In addition to getting more overall daily physical
activity, teenagers who bike or walk to school
watch less TV and are less likely to smoke than
their peers who are driven to school.
•Public transit users take 30% more steps and
spend roughly eight more minutes walking
each day than drivers.
•A 30-minute round-trip bicycle commute is as-
sociated with better mental health in men.
Source: American Public Health Association Fact Sheet, “Active
Transportation: in addition to getting more overall physical ac-
tivity daily Health, Safety and Equity.” https://www.apha.org/-/
media/Files/PDF/topics/transport/APHA_Active_Transporta-
tion_Fact_Sheet_2010.ashx
•Promote Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies
such as GPS-based advanced vehicle locators for metro wide
transit (Transit), traffic signal coordination, use of smartphone
apps for multi-modal wayfinding, vehicle sharing, and route plan-
ning.
•Encourage telecommuting and staggered shift times to reduce
peak hour road congestion.
•Provide metro area decision makers with systems-level road
performance and LOS to help direct transportation investments
to the areas of greatest need.
•Support incident management programs to speed the clearing of
incidents.
* Performance measures required by Federal Highway Administration.
DESIRED
TREND BASELINE
2022 PLAN
DATA TREND
↑96.40%97.9% (2019)↑
↓5,709 (2015)5,755 (2019)↑
↑N/A 100% (metro) /
100% (state)New Measure
↑N/A 90.9% (metro)New Measure
↓N/A 1.14 (metro) /
1.12 (state)New MeasureTruck Travel Time Reliability (TTTR) Index*
Travel Time Reliability
Builds a well-connected transportation network with coordinated land use patterns to reduce travel
demand and delay, miles traveled, and energy consumption
Vehicle Miles Traveled Annual VMT per capita (1000s of miles)
Percentage of the person-miles traveled on the Interstate
that are reliable*
Percentage of the person-miles traveled on the non-
Interstate NHS that are reliable*
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Congestion Percentage of major road mileage at Level of Service C or
better during peak hours
OBJECTIVES
Reduce congestion along collector and arterial streets.
Reduce metro vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
Reduce energy consumption.
GOAL
Strategies to Foster Health:
•Promote active transportation through the creation of a safe and convenient transportation
network throughout the Metro Arean.
•Prioritize infrastructure improvements near transit stops and public transportation facili-
ties.
•Encourage active lifestyles through way-finding signs, maps, and other educational materi-
als that encourage people to use trails, sidepaths, and transit.
•Improve elements of the transportation network that are seen as unsafe such as the scarci-
ty of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle facilities, in order to encourage active transportation
and increase safety.
•Reduce injuries associated with motor vehicle crashes through the improvement of road-
way facilities and availability of transportation options.
•Encourage active transportation to minimize air pollution from motor vehicles and the fuels
used to operate them.
•Address transportation needs and prioritize critical gaps to ensure equity and to enhance
active living.
•Ensure all people have access to safe, healthy, convenient, and affordable transportation
options regardless of age, income, and other socioeconomic factors.
HEALTH
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Equity
Provides mobility and access for all people and all neighborhoods
In order to ensure equitable levels of transportation investment, MPO communities must con-
sider the unique needs and circumstances that impact mobility or access for individuals and
neighborhoods. On a programmatic (micro) level, this includes the type and design of facilities
or services needed to ensure all members of the community can meet their daily needs. On a
structural (macro) level, land use and transportation policies that support compact and mixed
use development with a range of housing types helps maximize opportunties for multi-modal
and active transportation.
Transportation exerts a profound influence on people’s economic and social opportunities. For
some, the costs of transportation represent a major share of their household budget. For others,
inadequate or unreliable transportation serves as a significant obstacle to gaining and retaining
employment or accessing opportuinties and services. For the elderly population and people with
disabilities, transportation can be essential to escaping social isolation. For children and youth,
reliable transportation ensures regular school attendance and opportunities to participate in
extracurricular activities and recreation.
MPOJC efforts to support equitable transportation planning include:
•Developed a Complete Streets Policy that requires the accommodation of all travel modes in
the design of streets in order to receive federal funding. Complete streets maximize oppor-
tunities for active transportation and thereby lower costs of travel while increasing mobility
options.
•Completed a comprehensive ADA sidewalk and curb ramp inventory, which enabled MPO
communities to target accessiblity improvements and services, such as paratransit, to assist
individuals with limited mobility.
•Developed grant funding criteria for MPO-funded projects that consider improvements
to ADA compliance and mode choice as well as improved access for roadways that serve
multi-family developments or other special populations.
•Partnered with Johnson County, East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG), and
local human services agencies for the development of a Mobility Coordinator - a position
dedicated to working with persons with needs for special transportation assistance.
•Assessment of signalized intersections to assist with prioritization of audible Accessible Pe-
destrian Signal (APS) enhancements.
•Because individuals with low incomes
are less likely to own a car or have
only limited access to a working vehi-
cle, they are more likely to walk, wheel,
or bike, even when conditions are not
ideal.
•Households with low incomes and
members of historically marginalized
groups are less likely to live near roads
with safe, accessible, and high-quality
pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
•People working to make ends meet
and those facing obstacles to em-
ployment due to limited education,
immigration status, language barriers,
employment history, or previous incar-
ceration are more likely to have jobs
that require them to commute outside
of traditional ‘9 to 5’ business hours,
often in the dark and when or where
transit services are not operating.
•Adults with disabilities are less likely
to have adequate transportation than
adults without disabilities.
•Children, older adults, and individu-
als with physical or cognitive disabil-
ities may be unable to drive and are
more reliant on non-motorized travel
modes.
•As individuals age, they are increasing-
ly likely to depend on public transit for
their primary transportation.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE #9
DESIRED
TREND
BASELINE
DATA
2022 PLAN
DATA TREND
↑18.3% (2014)16.9% (2019)↓
↑96.0% (2013)95.5% (2019)↓
↑7.9 (2014)7.9 (2019)No
change
Food Environment
Index
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Physical Activity Percent of adults in Johnson County who are physically active
Seat Belt Use Percent of adults reporting to always use seat belts
Indicator of access to healthy foods Low to High (0-10)
Reduce metro vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
Reduce energy consumption.
GOAL
Invites and enhances healthy and active lifestyles
OBJECTIVES
Reduce congestion along collector and arterial streets.
Strategies to Ensure Equity:
•Ensure a range of affordable transportation options for all people and neighborhoods.
•Maximize the safety, convenience, and reliability of the public transit system.
•Prioritize the expansion and improvement of the sidewalk and multi-use trail network,
especially for direct access from multi-family or mixed use development.
•Support land use and development policies that ensure safe and convenient access
between housing and employment areas, schools, recreation, and commercial areas.
•Encourage multi-family zoning and development in areas served by transit.
•Provide targeted LOS evaluation for non-motorized travel to evaluate transportation
services and infrastructure serving low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods.
•Prioritize projects that create or enhance multi-modal access to employment, educa-
tion, or recreational facilities.
•Continue to support the Johnson County Mobility Coordinator.
EQUITY
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
DESIRED
TREND
BASELINE
DATA
2022 PLAN
DATA TREND
↓49% metro
average
49% metro
average
No
Change
PERFORMANCE
MEASURE DEFINITION
Housing and
Transporation Costs
Average proportion of household income devoted
to housing and transportation costs.
GOAL
Provides access and opportunity for all people in all neighborhoods
OBJECTIVES
Reduce the barriers to partipcation in community activities--school, extracurriculars, etc.
Eliminate obstacles to employment and housing.
Ensure access to daily needs and essential services.
PLACE HOLDER FOR INFOGRAPHIC
Transportation Funding
67%
7%
New Construction
26%
Reconstruction &
Maintenance
STBG Project Type (FY2012-2022)
State Recreational Trails Program (SRT): Es-
tablished to create recreational trails in Iowa
for the use, enjoyment and participation of the
public.
Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE): Pro-
motes economic development in Iowa through
the construction or improvement of roads.
Transportation Safety Improvement Pro-
gram (TSIP): Funds roadway safety improve-
ments, research, studies or public information
initiatives aimed to increase safety on public
roads.
Primary Road Fund (PRF): Funds the estab-
lishment, construction, and maintenance of
DOT facilities, state institutional roads, state
park roads, and restoration of secondary
roads and municipal streets used as primary
road detours.
A sound financial plan demonstrating how the unified vision for our regional transportation sys-
tem can be achieved is a critical element of the Future Forward 2050 Plan. While this long range
transportation plan is not a programming document, Federal Highway Administration regulations
require that the plan be ‘fiscally constrained’. To accomplish this, an analysis of fiscal constraint
was undertaken for the life of the Plan (2022-2050). This analysis fulfills the requirements of the
current Federal transportation legislation outlined in 23 CFR 450.324 (f) (11).
Following are brief descriptions of the primary funding sources used to forecast future funding
targets. While there are many additional State and Federal funding sources available, this list
includes only those that the MPOJC urbanized area has been successful in obtaining through
competitive grant processes.
LOCAL FUNDING SOURCES
In addition to road use tax revenue, a municipality’s general fund is often the primary funding
source for operations and maintenance costs. Funding for capital improvements on public roads
typically comes from the sale of bonds. General operating funds typically support public transit
capital and operations. Other local funding sources that help fund transportation improvements
include Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district revenues, fare or user fees and assessments, transit
levies, and property tax revenue.
STATE FUNDING SOURCES
Fiscal constraint is a required
component of long-range
planning. Transportation
expenditures included in this
plan should not exceed rev-
enue estimates during the
life of the plan. Simply put,
this plan includes only those
transportation improvements
that can be realistically com-
pleted based on anticipated
revenues.
$
To forecast future state and federal dollars available for Future Forward 2050 projects and pro-
grams, the MPO establishes a 10-year historic average of funding programs and applies a 4%
inflation rate recommended by the FHWA for each fiscal year covered by this plan. (2022-2050).
FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCES
National Highway Performance Program
(NHPP): Funding for resurfacing, restoring,
and rehabilitating routes on the Eisenhow-
er National System of Interstate and Defense
Highways.
DOT Surface Transportation Block Grant
(STBG): Funds improvements to any roadway
or bridge on the federal-aid system, transit
capital projects, bicycle and pedestrian facil-
ities, enhancement projects, environmental
restoration, and the establishment of native
species.
Regional Surface Transportation Block
Grant (STBG): Funds improvements to any
roadway or bridge on the federal-aid system,
transit capital projects, bicycle and pedestrian
facilities, enhancement projects, environmen-
tal restoration, and the establishment of na-
tive species. Regional STBG funds are formula
funds provided to MPOJC and programed by
the Urbanized Area Policy Board using a com-
petitive grant process. See page 59 for descrip-
tion of the allocation process.
Regional Transportation Alternatives Pro-
gram (TAP): Funds enhancement activities that
have a direct relationship to surface transpor-
tation facilities including: facilities for bicycles
and pedestrians (including safety and educa-
tional activities), landscaping and other scenic
beautification, historic preservation, and the
preservation of abandoned railway corridors
for bicycle and pedestrian uses. Regional TAP
funds are formula funds that are provided to
MPOJC and programed by the Urbanized Area
Policy Board using a competitive grant process.
Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Im-
provement (CMAQ): Flexible funding for
transportation projects and programs tasked
with helping to meet the requirements of the
Clean Air Act. These projects can include those
that reduce congestion and improve air quali-
ty.
Federal Recreational Trails Program (FRT):
Funding for public recreational trails. The re-
cipient must use funding for trail projects that
are part of a local, regional, or statewide trails
plan.
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
STBG Funding
TAP/FLEX Funding
Funding is not allocated based on population. Please see following page for more details on the funding allocation process.
Project Identification
and Submission
Each MPO community/entity
identifies local transportation
projects that are appropri-
ate for funding through the
MPO. These projects are
usually selected from estab-
lished local community or
development plans. Funding
applications are then submit-
ted to the MPO. Applications
include the timing for design
and construction, anticipat-
ed local funding as well as
desired federal funding, and
a general description of the
elements that will be includ-
ed in the project.
Qualification and Scoring
MPO staff review the submit-
ted projects to verify that each
meets federal eligibility guide-
lines. Staff then use pre-ap-
proved criteria to score proj-
ects. These criteria correspond
to the Guiding Principles
described on pages 30-53. The
criteria and scores help ensure
the MPO is funding projects
that meet the diverse goals of
the organization. Scoring crite-
ria are included in the support-
ing documents on page__..
Recommendation and Selection
The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee,
(TTAC)—which includes engineers, transit managers,
and other staff from all five MPO communities, the
County, and the University—work together to pro-
vide recommendations for which projects should be
selected and what amount of funding each project
should receive.The Urbanized Area Policy Board,
which includes elected officials and other representa-
tives, makes the final selections and allocations based
on the recommendations and priorities of the TTAC.
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
Selected projects are programmed in order to set a schedule for the
availability and release of federal funds. The TIP is a short-range plan
that lists all transportation projects programmed to receive federal
transportation funding within at least a four-year horizon.
MPOJC entities work cooperatively through committees
and the Urbanized Area Policy Board to decide which
transportation projects will receive funding. Municipality Population 2010 Population 2020 Population Change
MPOJC STBG
Funds
MPOJC STBG
Funds per
capita
MPOJC TAP
Funds
MPOJC TAP
Funds per
capita
Coralville 18,907 22,318 3,411 16,146,900$ 723$ 1,612,599$ 72$
Iowa City 67,862 74,828 6,966 36,121,419$ 483$ 2,318,000$ 31$
North Liberty 13,374 20,479 7,105 7,847,000$ 383$ 1,015,118$ 50$
Tiffin 1,947 4,512 2,565 2,020,000$ 448$ 592,000$ 131$
University Heights 1,051 1,228 177 1,265,440$ 1,030$ 215,000$ 175$
Johnson Co.*3,312 unavailable 1,055,000$ #VALUE!195,000$ #VALUE!
*MPOJC estimated unincorporated population within the Metro Planning Boundary.
Anticipated Funding & Needs (2022 - 2050)
Short-Term (FY22 - 30)$8,157,692 $6,179,840 $93,240,028 $85,844,040 $101,397,720 $92,023,880 $9,373,840
Mid-Term (FY31 - 40)$12,033,378 $16,180,826 $137,537,972 $144,736,650 $149,571,350 $160,917,476 -$11,346,126
Long-Term (FY41- 50)$15,158,930 $35,052,902 $173,262,121 $247,347,763 $188,421,051 $282,400,665 -$93,979,614
TOTAL $35,350,000 $57,413,568 $404,040,121 $477,928,453 $439,390,121 $535,342,021 -$95,951,900
Iowa DOT projects are NOT included.
4% inflation rate; year of expenditures considered to the mid-year of funding period. Historically a 40% match is typical for projects that receive state and federal funding . For more information see Supporting Documents.
Road and Bridge Network
27 miles
interstate highways
29 miles
principal arterials
(state highways)
87 miles
major arterials
69 miles
collector streets
375 miles
local roads
587 total centerline miles
in the Metro Area
To create a comprehensive, integrated, and connected road network, accomodat-
ing mulitple modes of travel, to support sustainable growth and development and
enhance quality of life.
The 587-mile metropolitan area roadway network is the backbone of the transportation system.
The street network provides multi-modal access to neighborhoods, commercial and industrial
areas, schools, and parks. Arterial streets are the main routes for commercial deliveries, emer-
gency service vehicles, school buses, and public transit vehicles. Local roads provide direct ac-
cess to households, carry the lowest volume of traffic, have the lowest speeds, and tend to be
most popular with pedestrians and bicyclists.
The MPOJC Arterial Streets Map (see opposite page) reflects the metropolitan area arterial streets
including the U.S. Highway, State Highway, and Interstate System, and shows where future arteri-
al street extensions are expected. Future arterial corridors are identified by metro area entities.
The Arterial Streets Map is approved by the MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board coincident with
the adoption of this Plan.
85% of respondents to the LRTP online survey
rated the overall transportation network as fair,
good, or very good. (551 responses)
Arterial Streets Map
There are two types of bridge
deficiencies. A bridge deficiency does not
imply a bridge is unsafe.
Structurally-deficient - A bridge having
deterioration to one or more major
components, but the bridge is not unsafe.
Functionally Obsolete– The geometric design
of a bridge does not meet the current design
standards.
Functional classification is a tool used to define
the role of roadways within the larger transpo-
ration network. Each classification fits within a
hierarchy based on the level of mobility and ac-
cess that the particular roadway is intended to
provide.
Roadways with higher classifications better
serve mobility and provide less access to indi-
vidual properties, whereas roadways with lower
classifications provide greater access to individ-
ual properties but less overall mobility. Vehicles
are able to move with the highest speeds and
least delay on higher-order roadways, such as
interstates, while bicyclists and pedestrians
tend to move with the greatest comfort on
lower-order streets, such as local and collector
streets.
The MPO works with local jurisdictions, the
Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), and
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to
determine the federal functional classification
of metro area roadways. Only 35% of roadway
miles within the Metro Planning Boundary may
be classified as a collecter street or higher. This
designation is significant as federal funding can
only be spent on roadways functionally classi-
fied as collector or higher. At this time, approx-
imately 33% of the metro area roadways are
classified on the Federal Functional Classifica-
tion map (see left).
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
has developed condition ratings to describe
overall condition of bridges. Across the nation,
bridge condition is determined by the National
Bridge Inventory (NBI) condition ratings for the
bridge deck, superstructure, substructure or
culvert. Bridge condition is classified in terms
of good, fair and poor as noted in the table be-
low.
Of the nation’s 618,456 bridges, 45% are in
good condition and 7% are in poor condition.
Iowa ranks #2 in the nation for the percentage
of its bridges that are structurally deficient at
19%. Iowa ranks #1 in the nation for the total
number of structurally deficient bridges with
4,571.
The map on this page shows the location and
condition of the 121 bridges located within the
metropolitan planning boundary. Of the 121
bridges; 53 are in good condition, 59 are in
fair condition and 9 are in poor condition (str-
cuturally deficient).
Two of the most traveled structurally deficient
bridges in Iowa are located in Iowa City:
1. Gilbert Street over Ralston Creek -
14,500 daily crossings (slated to be
replaced in FY2022 with $1,000,000 in
Surface Transportation Block Grant –
Highway Bridge Program federal fund-
ing.)
2. Highway 1 over the Iowa River (Burl-
ington St. Bridge, eastbound) - 13,150
daily crossings.
Good (G), Fair (F), Poor(P):
These terms are defined in ac-
cordance with the Pavement and
Bridge Condition Performance
Measures final rule, published in
January of 2017.
4%
5%
15%
12%
64%
69 centerlane miles
87 centerlane miles
29 centerlane miles
27 centerlane miles
375 centerlane miles
GOOD
POOR
FAIR
The condition of infrastructure is monitored
using a numerical rating called the Pavement
Condition Index (PCI). PCI is a metric developed
by the Iowa DOT that accounts for a pave-
ment’s ride quality and the amount of cracking,
faulting, and rutting present. PCI rates the con-
dition of the surface of a road network from
0-100, where 0 is poor and 100 is good.
Source: Iowa DOT Transportation Asset Management
(TAM) Plan (2019-2028)
PCI for State and Federal Highways:
Pavement condition data for state and federal
highways in Iowa is collected by the Iowa DOT
and is shown on the map to the left. The pave-
ment condition of all state and federal high-
ways in the metro area averages (77), which
means roads are generally in good condition.
This represents an upward trend from the
2014 average of 70.
very poor good
State and Federal
Highways
This analysis used 2020 PCI data to
identify the condition of the region’s
pavement.
Within the Metro Area, 97% of State and Fed-
eral Highways are in fair to good condition; 3%
are in poor or very poor condition.
Pavement condition for local roads, eligible for
MPO funding, is collected through the Institute
for Transportation at Iowa State University (In-
Trans) and is shown on the map to the right.
On average, the pavement condition of local
Federal Aid eligible roadways is in fair condition
averaging 58 PCI.
Within the metro area, 60% of local Federal Aid
routes are classified as being in fair or good
condition; which can be attributed to the re-
gion’s continued investment in the repair and
maintenance of our roadways. The region’s
pavement condition will be tracked over time
in order to measure performance and help pri-
oritize improvements.
Within the Metro area, 60% of Local Federal
Aid Routes are in fair to good condition; 40%
are are in poor or very poor condition.
Local Federal Aid Routes
This analysis used 2019 PCI data to identify the
condition of the region’s pavement.
Local Federal Aid Routes are those roadways
eligible for MPO transportation funding.
very poor good
Travel demand models (TDM) simulate existing travel patterns and forecast future travel patterns
based on existing, committed, and planned system improvements and socio-economic data.
TDMs support the development of the long range transportation plan and provide an objective
tool for evaluating major infrastructure projects, traffic volumes, and delay. TDMs are nationally
recognized tools used by nearly all MPOs and DOTs across the United States.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC), along with assistance of the
Iowa DOT, developed a TDM for the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan. The MPOJC TDM was
built using the DOT’s Iowa Standardized Model Structure (ISMS).1 ISMS provides a standardized
yet scalable travel demand modeling architecture for use by all MPOs in Iowa. The MPOJC TDM
utilizes TransCAD as the software that performs the four-step modeling process of trip genera-
tion, trip distribution, mode choice, and traffic assignment.
Trip generation is the process of estimating the number of trip productions and attractions in
each transportation analysis zone (TAZ) based on the socio-economic activity within the zone.
The model relies on data about economic activity (housing units, building area, and land use
area) to predict transportation decisions and trip generation. This process is conducted inde-
pendently by type of trip purpose (school, work, etc.) and done for each discrete time periods
Input Data
Model development began with the preparation of socioeconomic and network data for the en-
tire metropolitan area. A few of the primary elements of the TDM include:
• Parcel data (housing units, building area, and land use area)
• U.S. Census data (housing and demographic data)
• Network data (lanes, posted speeds, status of roadway improvements)
Trip Purposes
Travel characteristics vary depending upon the reason the trip is being made. Some types of
trips can only fulfill the intended purpose of that trip at very specific locations, such as schools.
Other types of trips are less sensitive to the distance between the origin point and the choices
of destination, such as work trips. As such, trips were simplified into 14 different purposes, a few
of which are:
1. Home-based work – a trip between one’s home and workplace
2. Home-based non-work – a trip between one’s home and a location other than work, such
as shopping
3. Non-home based – a trip that does not begin or end at home, such as a trip from work to
shopping
4. Special purposes - a unique traffic generator (i.e. hospital or university) that draws trips
from throughout and beyond the region.
Time Period
Daily person trip activities and various network elements are subdivided into four time periods,
AM (6:00 - 8:59), Mid-day (9:00 AM – 2:59 PM), PM (3:00 - 5:59) and off-peak (6:00 PM – 5:59 AM).
Weekday and weekend travel are modeled individually.
Transportation Analysis Zones
A transportation analysis zone (TAZ) represents the geography within which economic activity oc-
curs that results in the movement of people and freight. Each TAZ includes base year population
and land use data. Local planners were asked to assign their jurisdictions’ anticipated population
and employment growth (see pages 6-9) to the TAZs from 2018 through2050. TAZ boundaries
typically follow roads or natural features.
There are 850 TAZs ranging in size from individual blocks in the more densely populated areas
to several square miles near the periphery of the planning boundary. There are also 35 external
zones located where roads cross the planning boundary. The external zones are intended to
represent the traffic passing through the metropolitan area.
1. https://mtmug.iowadot.gov/isms_files/2020_
ISMS_v1.1_20201028.pdf
Person Trip Generation – Productions and Attractions
Each trip has two trip ends. The trip generation mode calculates trip ends separately: one is clas-
sified as a trip production and the other is a trip attraction. When trips originate at home and end
at work, the home is defined as the production and work is defined as the attraction.
Transportation Network
The model network includes all Federal Functional Classification (FFC) roads in the metropolitan
area as well as some additional local roads that are critical for connectivity. Roads are categorized
based on their capacity, speed of travel, number of travel lanes, existence of turn lanes and sur-
rounding land uses. Transit routes and stops were also included in the transportation network.
The model network is then used to simulate trips between the production and attraction pairs
of traffic analysis zones.
MPO staff coordinated with local entities to develop the list of projects to be included in the long-
range transportation plan. The improvements include anything from new roadways to additional
or reduced capacity changes, etc. (see pages 87-95).
Trips are distributed across the region by way of a standard gravity model process. The gravity
model assumes that the amount of travel between TAZs is based on the relative attractiveness
between the origin and the destination.
Mode choice incorporates specific transit route details, including each transit route, route stops,
route headways, and access modes to and from transit.
Traffic or route assignment is the process of estimating the traffic flows on a network. The pro-
cess evaluates the impedance along the possible combination of links to connect each trip’s
origin and destination, then assigns the trips to those links.
Model Validation, Calibration, and Reasonableness Checking
Each step in the ISMS recommended model architecture includes guidance on model calibration,
validation and reasonableness checks. Model validation is the comparison of a model to ob-
served data not directly used in the model development. Model calibration is the adjustment of
model constants to better replicate observed results. Model reasonableness is comparing model
outputs to expected results.
Limitations of the Travel Demand Model
Travel Demand Models are best used for
general indications of traffic patterns. Traf-
fic forecasts are generated with the best in-
formation available, but no model software
can predict future political, cultural, and
economic decisions including:
• Local decisions related to annexation
and zoning patterns;
• Private sector decisions on where to
locate high traffic generation land uses;
• Cost of fuel;
• Individual decisions of preferred
transportation mode.
A Free flow, unencumbered movement. No
restriction on speed or maneuverability.NONE
B Reasonable flow. Slight restriction on
maneuverability.SLIGHT
C Stable flow. Some restriction on speed. MINIMAL
D Approaching unstable flow. Density of traffic is
increased. Speed declines. Maneuverability is
limited.
MINIMAL
E Operating at capacity; unstable flow. Vehicles are
closely spaced with little room to maneuver.MODERATE
F Very congested. Speeds vary; unpredictable.POTENTIAL
GRIDLOCK
Capacity needs for the Iowa City Urbanized Area were evaluated based on current conditions
(base year 2018) and anticipated future conditions (horizon year 2050). Level of Service (LOS)
was used to evaluate the delay motorists experience. The Iowa DOT and MPOJC have adopted
LOS E as the design capacity for the purposes of vehicular traffic modeling and planning. LOS E
represents the “ultimate theoretical capacity” of roadways. As traffic approaches LOS E, drivers
experience congestion and delays, and some begin to divert to adjacent, less congested routes.
LOS uses qualitative measures that characterize operational conditions within a traffic stream
and perception of these conditions by motorists and passengers. The descriptions of individual
levels of service (A-F) characterize these conditions in terms of factors such as speed and travel
time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, and comfort and convenience.
The Travel Demand Model is used
to determine what projects to
include in the 2050 Long Range
Transportation Plan. If a project
is in a corridor with existing or
forecasted future congestion (de-
fined as having LOS E or F during
peak hours according to the MPO-
JC TDM), it is given a higher score.
This scoring reflects the MPO’s
commitment to funding projects
that improve the efficiency of our
transportation system.
2018 Vehicular Level of Service
In 2018, the majority of roads in the metro area
experienced very little congestion and high lev-
els of service (LOS) during the AM and PM peak
hours.
This remains true with the seven committed
projects (projects that have programmed fund-
ing but are not yet completed) as they do not
include significant system expansion or capac-
ity improvements.
During the AM peak hour, over 97% of road
miles perform at LOS A, B, or C. A portion of
Melrose Avenue in University Heights, Park
Road in Iowa City, and the northbound Inter-
state 80/380 ramp currently experience con-
gestion during the AM peak hour.
During the PM peak hour (opposite page), two
of the Insterstate 80/380 and Highway 218 in-
terchange ramps are congested.
LOS is used to indicate where traffic conges-
tion may be probelmatic during peak travel
periods.
– Roadways that are built and operational as
of 2018.
– Roadway projects that have programmed
funding but are not yet complete.
AVERAGE WEEKDAY
Ä Average Trip Length to work: 6 miles or 17.8 minutes.
Ä Vehicle miles traveled/household: 52.3 miles
Ä Number of person trips per household: 14.8
If federal funding continues to be distributed to
the metro area for investment in the transpor-
tation network as expected, and planned road/
capacity improvement projects are able to be
completed, peak hour congestion in the metro
area would decrease.
However, the degree to which congestion is
lessened is marginal considering the met-
ro area will continue to add people, jobs, and
homes. This growth contributes to increased
vehicle miles travelled on the major metro area
roads.
As less than half of the committed and planned
projects (proposed to be completed by 2050)
are capacity or expansion related projects,
many of the major roads across the metro will
remain at their existing capacity levels but will
serve an increased number of vehicles.
For more information on proposed capital in-
frastructure projects, refer to pages 87-95.
– Roadways that are built and operational as
of 2018.
– Roadway projects that have programmed
funding but are not yetcomplete.
– Roadway projects that are not funded or con-
structed, but are anticipated (2022-2050).
2050 Vehicular Level of Service
AVERAGE WEEKDAY
Ä Average Trip Length to work: 7 miles or 18.5 minutes.
Ä Vehicle miles traveled/household: 60 miles
R o a d a n d B r i d g e I n f r a s t r u c t u r e S u c c e s s e s
Between FY2018 and FY2021 over $19,725,000 in Federal Surface Transportation Program
funds were distributed through the MPO and invested in the metropolitan area road network.
Complete Streets
MPO communities have embraced the benefits of the adopted Complete Streets Policy. Road
projects now include sidepaths (8- to 10- foot sidewalks) to accommodate bicycle and pedestri-
ans and they are designed with enhanced crossings at major intersections. Where right-of-way
widths and topography allow, pedestrian bridges and underpasses provide easy crossings of
major roadways such as I-80 and Hwy 965. Iowa City has expanded its on-street bicycle facilities
with buffered bike lanes and turning boxes.
Roundabouts
To date, Coralville has constructed twelve roundabouts and anticipates a future roundabout
at 1st Avenue and Oakdale Boulevard. Both Iowa City and North Liberty have constructed five
roundabouts. Roundabouts are increasingly viewed as a safer and more efficient alternative to
traditional intersection traffic control such as stop signs or traffic signals. Roundabouts have
been proven to reduce collision fatalities by 90 percent and injury collisions by 75 percent (FHWA
& Institute for Highway Safety) while reducing the amount of delay that motorists experience as
it is not required to come to a complete stop unless a conflicting vehicle is present.
Vehicle Miles Traveled Decreased in 2019
• Reconstruction of 1st Ave. between 6th St. and 9th St.
– Coralville
• Reconstruction of Ranshaw Way between Zeller St. and Penn
St. – North Liberty
• Penn St. reconstructionbetween Cameron Way and Jones
Blvd. – North Liberty
• Roberts Ferry Rd. reconstruction – Tiffin
• Reconstruction of Melrose Ave. between Sunset St. and
E City Limits) – University Heights
• Prentiss St. Bridge replacement over Ralston Creek
– Iowa City
• American Legion Rd. reconstruction – Iowa City
• IWV Rd. reconstruction – Iowa City
• Burlington St. reconstruction, between Riverside Dr.
and Madison St. – Iowa City
• Benton St. reconstruction – Iowa City
As the metro population increases, VMT is also expected to increase but that was not the case in 2019. Metro
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) increased between 2016 and 2018 with a substantial increase between 2016 and
2017 (49,602 miles traveled). In 2019, VMT decreased from 705,937 to 702,664, which is the first decrease in
VMT since 2016 when VMT decreased by 9,968 as compared to 2015. While the decrease is marginal, it may
be a result of people utilizing alternative modes of transportation (transit, walking, and bicycling) or there be-
ing more direct routes between origins and destinations.
Coordination of Traffic Signals
The following metro arterial corridors recently received updated timings/cordination plans based on current
traffic patterns:
• 2nd Street – Coralville
• Dubuque Street – Iowa City
• Highway 1 / Highway 6 – Iowa City
• Dodge Street – Iowa City
• Riverside Drive – Iowa City
• 1st Avenue - Coralville
This is an ongoing effort to reduce vehicular travel time and delays, especially during peak periods.
Pedestrian underpasses like this one under Coral Ridge Ave-
nue at Oakdale Boulevard, help to make busy corridors more
accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians.
Roundabouts, like this one in Coralville, improve safety, promote lower speeds, reduce conflict points, and lead to improved
operational performace.
R o a d a n d B r i d g e I n f r a s t r u c t u r e C h a l l e n g e s
Aging Infrastructure
As thearea continues to grow, the transportation network must be continuously main-
tained and modernized. The emphasis on expansion of the road network during the last
half of the twentieth century overlooked the necessity to replace and rehabilitate aging
facilities and equipment. As population increases, there is a higher demand placed on
the roadway network, especially in outlying areas. The challenge is to provide adequate
capacity to provide a reasonable Level of Service for vehicular traffic while also keeping
the system in a state of good repair.
In the metro area, 61% of bridges were built prior to 1980. As bridges continue to age,
they become a detriment to the greater transportation system causing delays and safe-
ty issues. Identifying funding to maintain the metro area bridges in acceptable condition
is an ongoing challenge.
Safety
Improving the safety of the metro area’s transportation network is a top priority. Overall
metro collisions increased in the last five years (2016-2020) as compared to the 5 prior
years, though fatalities and serious injuries have decreased (156 between 2016-2020
and 181 between 2011-2015). The rate at which fatalities and serious injuries occur per
100 million vehicle miles traveled (HMVMT), has fluctuated between 4.1 at the lowest
(2013) and 6.2 at the highest (2012). As compared to the State, the rate of fatalities and
serious injuries locally per HMVMT has been lower on average.
In the Iowa City Urbanized Area, approximately 56% of collisions occurring between
2015 and 2019 involved a driver younger than 24. Aditionally, approximately 16% of col-
lisions occurring during the same time frame involved a driver over 65 years of age. This
accounts for 72% of all collisions. Safety countermeasures and educational campaigns
should be targeted towards this demographic. .
Climate Change
Climate change can be considered from two different perspectives as it relates to trans-
portation – how climate change affects the transportation network and how transportation
contributes to climate change.
How Climate Change Affects the Transportation Network
Climate change poses an immediate and long-term threat in terms of increased extreme
weather events that affect the reliability and capacity of the local transportation network. Cli-
mate change is likely to damage transportation infrastructure through higher temperatures
and more severe storms and flooding, affecting the reliability and capacity of the transporta-
tion system while also increasing the cost. 1
The metropolitan area has been significantly affected by flooding of the Iowa River and its
tributaries in recent years, including a major flood in 2008 and several smaller flood events
in years following. Flooding results in road closures, damage to infrastructure, disruption of
traffic patterns, and an increase in travel times and VMT. The expectation is that the area will
continue to experience both small- and large-scale flooding events.
How Transportation Contributes to Climate Change
Besides being affected by climate change, transportation systems also contribute to changes
in the climate through emissions. Burning fossil fuels such as gas and diesel, release carbon
dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. This build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases cause the earth’s atmosphere to warm and subsequently impact the climate.
Transportation activities are the largest source of emissions, accounting for 29 percent of
total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. From 1990 to 2019, transportation CO2 and
GHG emissions from fossil fuel combustion rose by 24 percent due in large part to increased
demand for travel [Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2019 – Data
Highlights].
1. EPA Link: https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-transportation_.html
The Gilbert Street bridge over Ralston Creek (south of Burlington
Street) in Iowa City is one of more than 4,500 Iowa bridges that
are identified as structurally deficient. The Gilbert Street bridge in
Iowa City is scheduled for replacement in 2022.
0
2
4
6
8
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Iowa City Metro State of Iowa
Metro communities have invested in flood protection and
mitigation. Read more about the Iowa City Climate Ac-
tion Plan https://www.icgov.org/city-government/depart-
ments-and-divisions/climate-action-outreach or the Coralville
Food Resilience Plan https://www.floodresilientcoralville.com/
Fuel Costs and Revenues
The cost of fuel directly affects many facets of the transportation industry. When the
cost of fuel fluctuates noticeably, driving behavior changes and creates an immediate
impact on the transportation system through variations in number of miles driven
and changes in mode of travel. As mentioned in the Passenger Transportation chap-
ter, the level of transit ridership in the metro has historically been correlated with
the cost of gasoline. Annual ridership increased to more than 7 million trips per year
during the 2008 recession as gas prices rose to over $3 per gallon.
Such changes in behavior can also have more far-reaching impacts, as notable in-
creases or decreases in travel can affect transportation-related revenues such as
those derived from fuel taxes. Iowa fuel taxes make up approximately 45% of the
state Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF).
Fuel tax revenues are declining due to increases in fuel efficiency and the growth
in the electric vehicle market. In December 2018, the Iowa DOT provided a report1
to the state legislature on the potential impacts to the RUTF. The DOT estimates a
decrease in tax revenue of $7 million by the year 2040. The DOT has proposed a
number of strategies to mitigate the loss of fuel tax revenue, including surcharges
on the purchase and/or increased registration fees for electric or plug-in hybrid ve-
hicles. These fees and taxes would be structured to recoup comparable charges to
what vehicle owners/users would otherwise pay in fuel tax.
Iowa Departmenet of Transportation. 2018 Report on the Impact of Elevtric Vehicles to the State Road Use Tax
Fund. http://publications.iowa.gov/29142/1/EV%20RUTF%20Impact%20Report%20123118.pdf
O p p o r t u n i t i e s
Eastern Iowa Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan
Electric vehicle (EV) technology and deployment have advanced dramatically in re-
cent years, creating opportunities to directly reduce GHG emissions from the trans-
portation sector while providing additional economic and energy security benefits.
Recognizing the role that local and regional governments can take in enabling an
electrified transportation future, an increasing number of communities across the
United States are defining strategies to achieve a greater level of readiness for EVs,
with a focus on charging infrastructure to support these vehicles.
The Eastern Iowa Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP) is a collective effort
of cities, counties, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) of Eastern
Iowa. Its goal is to increase zero-emission vehicles as one of the available solu-
tions leading to lower transportation emissions and carbon reductions while
ensuring that the mobility needs of the region are met equitably.
Representatives from Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, and
Iowa City (including MPOJC) served on the steering committee that worked
with ICF Consultants of Cambridge, Massachusetts to complete the plan. The
plan establishes:
• Strategies for increasing and leveraging local and regional investment
in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, with a focus on equity.
• Best practices for education, outreach, and addressing barriers to elec-
tric vehicle adoption.
• Actions, policies, and programs that municipalities can enact at the local
level.
• Regional coordination strategies.
Eastern Iowa Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan: http://www.inrcog.org/pdf/Eastern_
Iowa_EVRP_final_June_2021.pdf
Alternative fuels
More than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or under development
for use in alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. Government and
private-sector vehicle fleets are the primary users for most of these fuels, but
individual consumers are increasingly interested in them. Using alternative
fuels and advanced vehicles helps the United States conserve fuel and lower
vehicle emissions. In Iowa, there are 932 fueling stations that offer alternative
fuels.
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/
[US Department of Energy; Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy]
The MPO assists with regional coordination for EV, autono-
mous vehicle, and other advanced transportation technol-
ogies. MPO staff serve on regional and state committees
to ensure the successful adoption of these technologies.
Based on information from Plugshare, December 30, 2021. https://www.
plugshare.com/directory/us/iowa/iowa-city
Summary of Key EV Readiness Strategies and Actions
Quantify the need for new public charging equipment to fill
gaps at both local and regional level, including direct current
(DC) fast chargers to enable long-distance travel along
corridors.
Amend local zoning/land use codes to require EV charging as
a permitted accessory use, and to include requirements or
incentives (e.g., density bonuses) for the installation of
charging infrastructure in new construction and major
renovations.
Coordinate with dealers to facilitate point-of-sale rebates for
EVs.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive EV resources
website to educate all Eastern Iowa consumers on the
environmental, financial, and other benefits of EVs. The
website should include information on logistics of buying EVs
(including available incentives), installing charging (including
the local permitting process), finding charging, etc. Link to
other reputable and well-maintained resources as
appropriate.
Integrate EV readiness into regional planning efforts,
including regional transportation plans and sustainable
communities' strategies.
Educate municipal/county employees about EVs and EV
charging and encourage EV adoption through the
development of workplace charging programs.
Emerging Technologies
Autonomous and connected vehicles are still emerging technologies with their own challenges
related to vehicle safety and efficiency. According to the Iowa in Motion Plan, the Iowa DOT plans
to develop an implementation-ready platform for connecting and guiding automated vehicles.
This platform will be based on high-definition dynamic mapping, predictive travel modeling, and
a cloud-based communication network. The effort will initially deploy technologies supporting
autonomous vehicles in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids area. Additional deployments are planned
for the Des Moines-Ames metropolitan areas, as well as I-35 and I-80 across Iowa. MPOJC will be
a part of these conversations and planning processes as they relate to the corridors in the Iowa
City metropolitan area.
Connected Vehicles (CV)
Intelligent transportation systems that use cooperative dedicated, short-range spectrum (also
known as vehicle-to-everything or V2X communications) provide the potential to prevent a sig-
nificant number of crashes and enhance the safety of the US transportation system. When in-
tegrated into a vehicle (cars, buses, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, wheelchairs, etc.) or into infra-
structure, this V2X communication capability offers a powerful 360-degree sensor of threats and
hazards along US roadways.
[https://www.transportation.gov/research-and-technology/how-connected-vehicles-work]
Automated Vehicles (AV)
Automated vehicle (AV) technologies have the potential to significantly re-
shape the transportation landscape. AVs use a combination of light detection
and ranging (LIDAR), global positioning systems (GPS), optical cameras, and
processing power to analyze the roadway and make decisions for the driver.
Fully autonomous cars and trucks will integrate onto U.S. roadways by pro-
gressing through six levels of driver assistance technology advancements in
the coming years (see infographic to the right).
Iowa has taken a leadership role in assisting with the study of AV technologies.
In 2016, the Iowa DOT agreed to transform the heavily used I-380 corridor,
between the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City metro areas, into a test site for AV
technologies
The National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) at the University of Iowa,
with the help of key partners in the public and private sector, is researching
how partially automated vehicles can provide transportation options for peo-
ple who may not be able to drive themselves, such as the elderly or those
with mobility or visual impairments. A partially automated test vehicle will be
traveling along a set route through Hills, Riverside, Kalona, and Iowa City.
Potential benefits of automation include:
• Safety – Removing human error from the crash equation;
• Economic and societal – Reducing or eliminating vehicle crashes, thus
reducing the associated financial costs;
• Efficiency and convenience – Smoothing traffic flow and reduced conges-
tion, which in turn reduces the time people spend commuting;
• Mobility – Expanding mobility options for people with disabilities or those
without a drivers license.
US Department of Transportation, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. https://www.its.
dot.gov/cv_basics/cv_basics_what.htm
Source: Iowa DOT. 2019-2023 Iowa Strtegic
Highway Safety Plan. https://iowadot.gov/traffic/
pdfs/IowaSHSP.pdf
Traffic Trends
The onset of COVID-19 severely impacted travel patterns and
mode choice in the Iowa City Urbanized Area beginning in
March 2020 through May 2021 when traffic patterns began
to normalize. The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa
DOT) recorded traffic counts with its more than 120 automat-
ic traffic recorders (ATRs) across the state that showed fewer
vehicles traveling on all types of roads. Between March 2020
and August 2021, Iowa City municipal streets and primary
roads saw an average decrease in traffic of 15% as compared
to a 12% decrease on all State muncipal streets and primary
roads. In May 2021, traffic volumes on Iowa City municipal
streets and primary roads began to normalize or reach levels
pre-COVID-19, with traffic volumes being 3% lower than the
same month in 2019.
Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF)
Reduced passenger vehicle travel was the only significant
negative impact on state RUTF revenue. Reduced travel for
an extended period of time meant revenue would be down.
The Iowa DOT to estimated lost RUTF through June 2021 to
be around $50 million. However, based on current trends,
the impacts may be closer to $25 million. [Iowa DOT Memo]
Covid-19 Relief Funding
The passage and signing (December 2020) of the Corona-
virus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act
of 2021 (CRRSAA) provided $121.9 million in federal highway
COVID-19 relief to Iowa. The funding was allocated to all cities
and counties in Iowa using the Road Use Tax Fund formula
(DOT: 47.5%, County 32.5% and City 20%)
Iowa City’s observed traffic volumes throughout the pandemic closely matched the
statewide trend for similar roadways.
-40%
-35%
-30%
-25%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
2020 2021
CRRSSA Allocation by Area
•Trails $5.0 million
•Highway DOT $55.5 million
•County Secondary Road Fund $28.6 million
•Farm-to-Market Fund $9.4 million
•City Street Fund $23.4 million
•Total $121.9 million
CRRSSA Allocation by City
• Iowa City $646,272
• Coralville $180,057
• North Liberty $174,267
G U I D I N G P R I N C I P L E S M E T
Use Pavement Condition Index (PCI data) to help direct investments to areas of greatest need.
Support policies and programs that improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and access.
Consider the installation of roundabouts as an alternative to traditional traffic control.
Promote policies and projects that encourage alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle travel.
Provide educational and planning assistance to local governments to fully realize Complete Streets principles.
Ensure investments are adequate for improving bridge and pavement conditions.
Ensure all projects meet minimum Complete Streets standards.
Consider bicycle and pedestrian Level of Service (LOS) along with vehicular LOS in traffic studies.
Approach every transportation project as an opportunity to improve transportation for all users.
Consider reallocating extra space in the right-of-way for use by other modes.
Distribute bi-annual metro collision and countermeasures report.
Raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and walking through educational efforts and social media posts.
Utilize multi-disciplinary safety teams to identify improvements in the right-of-way.
Evaluate potential impacts of extreme weather and other climate-related stressors.
Support projects that address risks due to flooding or other natural hazards.
Develop detour routing plans based on travel demand analysis.
Support projects that reduce metropolitan area Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).
Encourage use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to reduce congestion.
Include analysis of fuel consumption within capacity and Level of Service analysis.
STRATEGIES:
IMPROVING MOTOR VEHICLE
TRANSPORTATION
To determine what projects to include in the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan, MPO Staff
asked entities to submit capital transportation infrastructure needs (projects) for the years 2022-
2050 to be considered for inclusion in the Plan. Only those projects for which communities an-
ticipate potential use of federal funds were to be chosen. Highway or interstate projects in their
jurisdiction (which the Iowa DOT would typically fund), projects that would be developer-driven
and funded, and projects expected to be locally funded were not included. Upon receiving each
community’s list of priority projects, MPO staff completed a preliminarily screen of the projects
to determine if they were eligible for inclusion using the following criteria:
•Is the project eligible to receive Federal funds such as Surface Transportation Block Grant
(STBG), Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), and/or Federal Transit Administration
funding?
•Does the project comply with the adopted MPOJC Complete Streets Policy?
•Is the project located within the adopted MPOJC Planning Boundary?
•Is the community committed to providing necessary matching funds for the project?
Once all projects were screened for eligibility, staff hosted a series of public input opportunities
where the public was invited to comment on the projects submitted. Opportunities included
virtual meetings and an online interactive map detailing each project with the opportunity for the
public to comment.
The projects were subsequently scored by MPO staff using criteria approved by the Urbanized
Area Policy Board (see scoring criteria on page XX in the appendix). The scoring criteria are
based on the guidng principals described on pages 30-53. The scores and public input were then
provided to the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) and Urbanized Area Policy
Board who were responsible for ensuring the final project list was fiscally constrained using the
MPO’s forecasted federal transportation infrastructure budget for years 2022-2050. The final
fiscally constrained project list starts on page 88.
Capital infrastructure projects that did not make
the fiscally-constrained approved list of projects
(due to a lack of forecasted funding) are included
on page 95. Project descriptions and cost esti-
mates for 2022-2030 road and bridge projects
are provided on the following pages.
Fiscal constraint is a required component of
long-range planning. This plan includes only
those projects that can be realistically com-
pleted based on anticipated revenues.
The Urbanized Area Policy Board has approved
the inclusion of the following capital infrastruc-
ture projects in the fiscally-constrained list of
projects eligible to receive federal funding
through the MPOJC. For more information on
the process by which these projects were se-
lected for inclusion in the LRTP, please refer to
the Financial Planning chapter, beginning on
page 56.
2022-2030
Projects 1-7, highlighted in blue are committed projects and have funding programmed in the FY22-25 MPOJC Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP).
University Heights Streetscape, stormwater and intersection improvements, utility relocations and construct bike lanes east of
Sunset St (0.35 miles)$1,560,000
Coralville 0.6 mile reconstruction of 5th St between 12th Ave and 20th Ave $3,132,000
Tiffin Grade & pave to a four-lane street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $4,860,000
Iowa City American Legion Rd to Lower West Branch Rd $12,760,000
Coralville Pavement widening, turn lanes, RR Xing improvements, new traffic signals $3,712,000
North Liberty Full build out from Hawkeye Dr to Forevergreen Rd, including trails and landscaping $11,600,000
University Heights Pavement repair and pedestrian improvements $557,960
University Heights Pavement repair within city limits $174,000
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout and reconstruct 10th Ave to Highway 6 $1,450,000
Iowa City Reconstruct Park Rd between Riverside Dr and Templin Rd $7,772,000
Coralville 0.5 mile reconstruction of 1st Ave between southerly E. Grantview Dr and Auburn East Ln from rural to
urban cross section $1,537,000
Coralville Reconstruct road approach sections to bridge over I-80, extend shared use path from south end of bridge
to 11th St, construct shared use path north of bridge to Ozark Ridge share use path $754,000
Iowa City This project is a replacement of the Benton St bridge over Ralston Creek $1,624,000
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails and install center turn lane $3,190,000
Coralville 0.42 mile reconstruction of Heartland Dr from Commerce Dr to Jones Blvd $1,740,000
North Liberty Full reconstruction with curb and gutter from Penn St to Main St $657,720
North Liberty Full build out, including trails and landscaping $4,194,560
Coralville 0.25 mile reconstruction Commerce Dr from Coral Ridge Ave to Commercial Park $1,044,000
University Heights Pavement repair between Benton St and Melrose Ave, and Oakcrest Ave crosswalk visibility improvements $174,000
North Liberty Full reconstruction with curb and gutter from Juniper St to North Liberty Rd $861,880
Coralville Reconstruction of intersection into a roundabout with pedestrian facilities $1,450,000
North Liberty Full reconstruction with curb and gutter from Zeller St to Juniper St $2,494,000
North Liberty Full reconstruction with curb and gutter from Cherry Street to Zeller Street.$3,087,920
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $1,160,000
Coralville 0.23 mile reconstruction of Heartland Dr from Commercial Park to Commerce Dr $812,000
Coralville Reconstruction of intersection as a roundabout with pedestrian facilities $2,320,000
Coralville 0.6 mile extension of Oakdale Blvd west of Jones Blvd $2,465,000
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout $1,160,000
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $5,800,000
Coralville Extension of Heartland Dr to new intersection with Hwy 6. Turn lanes and traffic signal improvements $1,740,000
$85,844,040
$93,240,028
$7,395,988
DOT/ Iowa City Reconstruct Dodge St between Governor St and Burlington St $19,040,000
DOT/Coralville Upgrade to diverging diamond interchange $30,420,768
DOT/ North Liberty
Replace Penn Street bridge over I-380; including a trail on the south side of the bridge (separated by
barrier rail), a sidewalk on the north side of the bridge (separated by barrier rail) and right turn lane
onto Kansas Ave
$17,400,000
$66,860,768
$95,418,942
$28,558,174
Project descriptions and cost estimates for 2031-2040 road and bridge
projects are provided on the following pages.
2031-2040
Iowa City This project is a replacement of the Burlington St bridge over the Iowa River that will also increase the
number of lanes $36,966,400
Iowa City Reconstruction of the Hwy 1 / 6 / Riverside Dr intersection $8,360,000
Iowa City Reconstruct the intersection to include dual left turn lanes on Gilbert St $7,356,800
Iowa City Reconstruction from Benton St to Stevens Dr. This project does not include improvements to the Gilbert St.
US 6 intersection $9,994,790
Coralville Traffic signals and pedestrian facilities $1,140,000
Coralville Traffic signals and pedestrian facilities $1,140,000
Iowa City This project will reconstruct Sycamore St to arterial standards using the Complete Streets Policy. This phase
will be the east / west leg of Sycamore St $7,023,616
Coralville Traffic signals, pedestrian facilities extending west on Hwy 6 $760,000
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails and install center turn lane $4,180,000
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout $1,900,000
Coralville 0.6 mile reconstruction of 1st Ave between Rustic Ridge Rd and future Forevergreen Rd from a rural to
urban cross section $2,128,000
Coralville 0.6 mile reconstruction of 1st Ave between Forevergreen Rd and Dubuque St $2,128,000
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout $1,900,000
University Heights Pavement repair within city limits $281,200
Iowa City
Part of the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan, this project reconstructs Linn St from Burlington St to Iowa
Ave. Project also improves sidewalk pavement, addresses critical update to water main, and replaces and
relocates storm sewer between Washington St and Iowa Ave
$4,470,624
Coralville 0.5 mile reconstruction of 1st Ave (and North Liberty Rd) between Auburn East Ln and Rustic Ridge Rd NE $2,014,000
Coralville Reconstruction of intersection into a roundabout with pedestrian facilities $1,520,000
Coralville Turn lanes and traffic signals, or roundabout $1,520,000
Coralville 0.32 mile of raised medians and turn lane improvement from Crosspark Rd to University Pkwy; creates
pedestrian refuge for North Ridge Trail crossing Oakdale Blvd.$760,000
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails and install center turn lane $5,320,000
Coralville Traffic signals, north leg addition, pedestrian facilities $760,000
Coralville Conversion to mini-roundabout, roundabout or traffic signals $912,000
2041-2050
Project descriptions and cost estimates for 2041-2050 road and bridge
projects are provided on the following page.
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout $1,900,000
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout $2,280,000
Coralville 0.42 mile reconstruction of 10th St from 12th Ave to 20th Ave $2,280,000
Coralville 0.24 mile reconstruction of 10th St from 20th Ave to 22nd Ave $1,140,000
University Heights Pavement repair between Benton St and Melrose Ave $281,200
Coralville Reconstruct intersection as a roundabout with pedestrian facilities added across Oakdale Blvd $2,280,000
Coralville Roundabout or traffic signal improvements $1,140,000
Coralville Pedestrian facilities to connect Jones Blvd shared use path to Clear Creek Trl $608,000
Coralville .52 mile extension of Forevergreen Rd from Naples Ave NE to North Liberty Rd NE $4,560,000
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails from Ridgeway Dr north to City limits $6,840,000
North Liberty Extension of Forevergreen Rd from 12th Avenue to Naples Ave NE $4,560,000
Tiffin Grade & pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $4,560,000
Iowa City This project will repair a box culvert that carriers Ralston Creek under Iowa Ave $804,019
Coralville Bridge replacement $1,368,000
Coralville Full reconstruction at 12th Ave and Holiday Rd with replacement of bridge over CRANDIC Railroad to
provide necessary offset of roundabout east of 12th Ave.$7,600,000
$144,736,650
$144,933,960
$197,310
DOT Six lane I-80 from east of Iowa Hwy 1 to eastern MPO boundary $28,211,200
DOT Six lane I-380 from north of Forevergreen Rd to the north MPO boundary $64,774,800
$92,986,000
$169,310,253
$76,324,253
DOT Six lane 1-80 from 80/380 west to the western MPO boundary $170,496,000
$170,496,000
$253,635,314
$83,139,314
Iowa City This is a capacity-related improvement identified by the Arterial Street Plan $15,029,760
Iowa City Construction of a south arterial street and bridge over the Iowa River, connecting from Old Hwy 218 / US
218 interchange to the west side of the Iowa River to Gilbert St / Sycamore "L" intersection $58,934,477
$73,964,237
University Heights Streetscape and stormwater improvements, utility relocations and construct bike lanes west of Sunset St
(0.2 miles)$2,304,000
Coralville 0.15 mile reconstruction of 5th St from 10th Ave to 12th Ave $768,000
University Heights Streetscape and stormwater improvements, utility relocations and construct bike lanes south of Melrose
Ave (0.35 miles)$1,651,200
University Heights Pavement repair within city limits $451,200
Coralville 0.45 mile reconstruction of 22nd Avenue between Hwy 6 and 10th St $3,840,000
Coralville 0.5 mile reconstruction of 10th St from 22nd Ave to 25th Ave $3,168,000
Coralville 1 mile reconstruction of Oakdale Blvd from 12th Ave to Crosspark Rd $7,680,000
Iowa City This project relocates the sidewalks of the Gilbert St underpass at the IAIS Railroad. The sidewalks are
moved further from the street and existing erosion problems are addressed $1,205,453
Coralville 0.5 mile reconstruction of 12th Avenue between 8th Street and I-80 $4,032,000
Coralville 0.4 mile reconstruction of 12th Ave between I-80 and Holiday Rd $3,840,000
Coralville 0.4 mile reconstruction of Holiday Rd between 1st Ave and Brown Deer Rd $3,840,000
Coralville 0.4 mile reconstruction of Holiday Rd from12th Ave to South Ridge Dr $3,840,000
University Heights Pavement repair between Benton St and Melrose Ave $451,200
Iowa City This project will reconstruct Rohret Rd to urban standards $6,683,443
Coralville Extension of 17th Ave to Hwy 6 with new turn lanes and traffic signals $1,440,000
Tiffin Grade and pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $7,680,000
Tiffin Grade and pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $7,680,000
Coralville 0.42 mile reconstruction of Holiday Rd between Brown Deer Rd and 12th Ave $4,032,000
Coralville 0.33 mile reconstruction of Rustic Ridge Rd from North Liberty Rd to Dubuque St $2,304,000
Coralville 0.35 mile reconstruction of Camp Cardinal Blvd from Clear Creek to Hwy 6 $2,880,000
Iowa City This project would construct Oakdale Blvd from Hwy 1, west to Prairie Du Chien Rd $30,375,936
Iowa City This project would construct an extension north across I-80 to a new intersection with Iowa Hwy 1 $55,296,000
Tiffin Grade and pave street, install curb, gutter and sidewalks or trails $13,440,000
Iowa City This project will install a city-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) based traffic signal pre-emption
system for emergency vehicles.$4,501,094
$173,383,526
$173,459,431
$75,905
BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN NETWORK
130
15.3
8
miles of multi-use trails and sidepaths
miles of paved shoulders
outside of city limits
miles of roadway marked
with bike lanes in Iowa CityForevergreen Rd
Penn St
Oakdale Blvd
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CLEAR CREEK TRAIL
Prairie du Chien RdRochester Ave
Melrose Ave
Rohret Rd Mormon Trek BlvdCOURT HILL TRAIL
SYCAMORE GREENWAYIOWA RIVER TRAIL1
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tNORTH LIBERTY TRAILNORTH RIDGE TRAILBicycle and Pedestrian Network
To create an accessible, well-coordinated bicycle and pedestrian network that allows people to safely bike and walk to meet their daily needs.
While private vehicles remain the dominant mode of transportation in the metro area, increas-
ing active transportation is an important goal for MPO communities. Enabling people to choose
active forms of transportation helps to fulfill several of the guiding principles of this long-range
plan. Substituting walking and biking for vehicle trips helps to reduce air pollution and green-
house gas emissions, traffic congestion, and wear and tear on road pavement. Likewise, as
people are better able to include exercise and recreation in their daily lives and become more
connected with the neighborhoods by walking and biking, both public health and quality of life
improve.
Equally important, but often overlooked, are the significant equity benefits. For many people
walking and bicycling are not simply a matter of choice. People with limited incomes, people
with disabilities, elderly people, and school age children may rely on active modes of travel to
meet some or all of their daily needs. Resources or services, that cannot be reached by bike
or on foot become missed opportunities. The more easily and safely people can bike or walk,
the more fully they can participate in the economy, the educational system, and the social and
cultural life of the community.
Ensuring the safety and convenience of walking and bicycling requires investment in infrastruc-
ture along with programs and policies to encourage the acceptance of bicycling and walking
as a legitimate form of transportation. Wayfinding signage and end of trip facilities such as
convenient and secure bicycle parking, can further expand the reach of walking and bicycling.
The regional trail system allows people to venture beyond the limits of their neighborhood or
community, and even into the County.
A mix of land uses along with the right development density further enhances walkability. Where
residential and commercial uses and employment are located in close proximity, people can
walk or bike to meet daily needs. Effective land use plans are coordinated with transportation
goals to maximize opportunity for multi-modal transportation.
of adults (age 16+) in
Johnson County bike or
walk to work/school.
Source: 2019 American Community Survey
11.4%
Photo: The W.E. Ride Program coordinated by the Iowa
City Bike Library and the Neighborhood Centers of
Johnson County helps girls develop safe bicycling skills.
Girls lead other students on rides to and from Weber
Elementary School each Wednesday during the school
year.
ADA curb ramps make life safer and more accessible
for everyone from people with disabilties, the elderly,
parents pushing strollers, people riding bikes, and de-
livery drivers rolling handcarts. ADA-compliant signals
allow all people to navigate the busiest intersections.
MPOJC staff identified all segments of urban primary
and secondary roads that lack ADA-compliant curb
ramps and subsequently MPOJC communities devel-
oped transition plans to ensure intersections without
ADA-compliant curb ramps/signals are modernize-
dover time.
T h r e e i m p o r t a n t e f f o r t s g u i d e p e d e s t r i a n
a n d b i c y c l e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e
Iowa’s Long Range Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan calls for MPOs and Regional Planning Organiza-
tions (RPAs) to mainstream the provision of safe and comfortable accommodations for walking
and biking as a part of all roadway planning.
MPOJC’s Complete Streets Policy (adopted in 2015) ensures that all modes of transportation
are addressed in the design of streets and applies to all projects using MPO-allocated funds.
All new and reconstructed streets shall include bicycle facilities (e.g. bike lanes, shared lane
arrows, sidepaths, and way-finding signs), ADA-accessible sidewalks, and curb ramps. The MPO
developed and adopted criteria for scoring applications for Surface Transportation Block Grant
(STBG) and Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funds, awarding additional points if a
project addresses various modes, including bus transit.
In addition to the proposed trail and sidewalk projects to be considered with TAP funding (see
projects listed on pages 109-111), nearly all of the projects identified for STBG funding shown in
the Road and Bridge chapter include facilities or other elements that expand and enhance trav-
el for bicyclists and pedestrians. The following road and bridge projects listed in the 2022-2030
timeframe (see page 88) will provide significant improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists:
•The reconstruction of 5th Street in Coralville, between 12th Avenue and 20th Avenue will
offer a low-stress alternative to 2nd Street / Highway 6 that is welcoming for bicycling,
walking, and transit. The project includes wide sidewalks, bus pull-offs, shared lane mark-
ings, and landscaping.
•Iowa City’s Taft Avenue project on the far east side of Iowa City will include buffered bike
lanes, sidewalks, and sidepaths that will connect with matching facilities currently being
constructed on American Legion Road.
•Improvements planned for Melrose Avenue in University Heights include sidewalks, bike
lanes, and enhanced pedestrian crossings in addition to aesthetic improvements intend-
ed to enhance the pedestrian experience along this busy commuter corridor.
•Plans for Ranshaw Way / Hwy 965 through North Liberty include a sidepath and sidewalks
as well as a separated grade crossing under the future 4-lane roadway.
•In Tiffin, sidepaths and sidewalks are planned for projects on Park Road and Highway 6,
which serve as corridors for travel to schools and commercial areas in this rapidly growing
community.
MPOJC completed a comprehensive inventory and evaluation of all sidewalks, curb ramps, and
bus stop facilities in the Metro Area to identify potential deficiencies. More than 6,000 ramp lo-
cations within the urbanized area were evaluated and photographed by field technicians from
2012-2014. Each MPO community was provided data identifying all locations where ADA-compli-
ant facilities were missing. As required by federal law, MPO communities drafted transition plans
that outline methods and priorities for correcting these deficiencies over time.
In 2009, MPO member entities adopted a Metro Bicycle Master Plan, which set a foundation for
creating a safe and accessible bicycle network. Within ten years, most of the infrastructure goals
included in the plan had been achieved.
In 2017, Iowa City adopted its own Bicycle Master Plan with a goal of installing more on-street
facilities. This approach makes particular sense for Iowa City with its higher density development,
centralized downtown commercial and university campus, grid street network, and numerous
arterial streets with sufficient pavement widths to accommodate bike lanes. Moreover, many of
the older neighborhoods surrounding the Downtown lack corridors where off-street trails could
exist, making on-street riding a necessity.
In 2019, the remaining Metro Area communities joined together to update the 2009 Metro Bike
Plan, which focuses on off-street trails and sidepaths (wide sidewalks). This approach is appro-
priate in North Liberty, Coralville, and Tiffin--all growing communities in which development pat-
terns and destinations are less concentrated and many existing arterial streets lack sufficient
pavement width for bike lanes.
In metro communities, off-street trails are often planned with the development of new neigh-
borhoods. The Metro Area now has more than 130 miles of off-street trails and sidepaths. In
Iowa City, more than 15 miles of roadway are now striped with dedicated bike lanes. From the
northern limits of the Iowa River Trail at Mehaffey Bridge, the County has constructed paved
shoulders linking to Solon and, more recently, portions of the Hoover Trail have been extended
to Linn County where they connect with the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. Within the next five years, a
planned trail link under the I-80/380 interchange will connect the Clear Creek Trail from Coralville
to Tiffin.
While each Metro community has set its own goals
for improving bicycle safety and access, all MPO en-
tities work in coordination to connect trails and up-
date policies. The Metro Area Bicycle Master Plan was
completed in 2019 and the Iowa City Bicycle Master
Plan was adopted in 2017.
C h a l l e n g e s a n d O p p o r t u n i t i e s
The Future Forward Long Range Plan, adopted in 2017, identified a number of challenges for
pedestrians and bicyclists. While significant progress has been made, many challenges and op-
portunities remain.
Barriers and Obstacles
Restricted access across Interstates 80 and 380 and Highway 218, along with railroad embank-
ments and the Iowa River, present significant challenges for active travel modes. Bridges and
underpasses may be separated by a half mile or more. While such distances are reasonable for
motorists, they can severely diminish opportunities for walking and bicycling. In some situations,
this may lead people to make unsafe travel choices. Bicycles and pedestrians should be safely
accommodated on all bridges and underpasses. This is especially critical in areas where devel-
opment includes institutional, commercial, or residential uses. In situations where established
street crossings are spaced far apart, special facilities may be necessary.
Busy, multi-lane roads, including Highways 1, 6, and 965, pass through the heart of metro com-
munities and present a different kind of impediment for non-motorized travel. At-grade crossings
may be more frequent but traffic speeds and volumes can make them challenging. Intersection
designs, signage, and pavement markings can help define pedestrian and bicycle areas making
users more visible to motorists. Refuge islands reduce the overall crossing distance and expo-
sure to vehicle traffic for bicyclists and pedestrians by allowing them to cross one segment at a
time. Adjustments to signal timings can also help facilitate safe crossings at busy intersections.
Leading pedestrian intervals, for instance, provide pedestrians a short head start when entering
an intersection, making them more visible to drivers and reinforce their right-of-way over turning
vehicles.
Parking
The provision of bicycle parking is an important complement to investments in bicycle infrastruc-
ture and helps support bicycling as a valid form of transportation. Adopting standards for short-
term parking for customers or visitors, and long-term parking for residents and employees, helps
to ensure that the parking provided meets the appropriate level of convenience, security from
theft or vandalism, and protection from weather for the intended user.
ABOVE: A network of grade separated crossings and off-street
trails allow bicyclists and pedestrians to travel from Rocky
Shore Drive in Iowa City under the 1st Avenue and 2nd Street
(Hwy 6) corridors and under the IAIS Railroad in Coralville to
connect with the Clear Creek Trail (photo below).
1. Penn Street over I-380
2. Forevergreen Road over I-380
3. Ireland Avenue over I-80
4. Iowa River ped bridge from IRL to Manitou Trail
5. Prairie du Chien Road over I-80
6. Melrose Avenue under Hwy 218
7. Connection under Hwy 218, Hunters Run Park
to Willow Creek Trail
8. IAIS Railroad embankment on Riverside Drive
9. Hwy 1 over Hwy 218
10. Hwy 6 bridge over the Iowa River and the inter-
section of Hwy 1 and Hwy 6 / Riverside Drive
1. Connection under Ranshaw Way / 965 at
Cherry St.
2. Connection under Ranshaw Way near Forev-
ergreen Rd. (funding 2026)
3. Connections under I-80 and I-380 connect-
ing Coralville and Tiffin (funding 2025)
4. Oakdale Blvd connection under Coral Ridge
Ave / (Hwy 965)
5. Holiday Rd connection under Coral Ridge Ave
/ (Hwy 965)
6. Northridge Trail connection under I-80 near
Coral Ridge Mall
7. Connection under I-80 between Waterworks
Park and Manitou Trail
8. N. Dubuque St Pedestrian Bridge over I-80
9. N. Dodge St Pedestrian Bridge over I-80
10. Tunnel under the IAIS Railroad between Clear
Creek Trail and 12th Ave.
11. Tunnel under IAIS Bridge and passage under
Hwy 6 Clear Creek Trail to Biscuit Creek.
12. Pedestrian bridge from 1st Avenue to Penin-
sula Neighborhood
13. Park Rd underpass between City Park and
Hancher
14. UI Campus pedestrian bridges
15. Longfelllow Tunnel under the IAIS Railroad
Bicyclists rely on smooth, even pavement for balance and to navigate turns, hills, and stops. Side-
walks, shared-use paths, and bike lanes should be kept in good condition and clear of debris, ice,
and snow in order for both pedestrians and bicyclists to travel safely. The Iowa DOT recommends
that paved shoulders and on-street bicycle facilities be swept at least twice each year. Snow re-
moval is necessary for year-round use.
In response to indoor facility closures and other restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pan-
demic, MPO communities expanded snow clearing efforts in order to keep much of the trail and
sidepath network open through the winter months. A special promotional effort encouraged
people to use the trails as a replacement for recreation and fitness that might have ordinarily
taken place indoors.
Expressions of support for trails and winter snow removal were the most common reponse to
the LRTP survey conducted in Spring 2021. Many respondents expressed enthusiastic apprecia-
tion for the trail system, which served as a safe haven and recreational outlet during periods of
lockdown and social distancing, while others called for winter maintenance of the trails to contin-
ue. Trail counts documented the surge in trail usage during 2020/21.
Public surveys consistently indicate support for enhanced wayfinding signage to guide bicyclists
and pedestrians, especially in areas where there are gaps in the off-street trail network. A recog-
nizable system of signage, distances, and identification of multi-use trails and on-street routes
can further expand the reach of walking and bicycling, allowing people to venture beyond the
limits of their neighborhood or community. A system of wayfinding signs was implemented nearly
a decade ago to fulfill a goal of the 2009 Metro Area Bicycle Plan but requires updating as trails
and sidepaths are extended. MPOJC staff conducted an inventory of trail identification and direc-
tional and mapping signs along the system in 2021.
Johnson County’s extension of the Hoover Trail now provides connection to the Cedar Valley
Nature Trail in Linn County. The extension of the Clear Creek Trail to Kent Park will open up new
opportunities for bicycle tourism. An enhanced system of trail identification and branding could
help build awareness of these and other trails.
To enhance wayfinding, the MPO publishes 10,000 copies of the Metro Area Trails Map each
year, making them available for distribution through recreation centers, libraries, bicycle retail-
ers, and through other businesses and organizations.
(conducted Spring 2021 during
Covid-19 restrictions)
59%of survey
respondents
sought out new
trails during
the pandemic.36%of survey respondents
indicated they were using
trails more often than
before the pandemic.
The real and perceived safety of on-street bicycling remains an impediment to achieving higher
rates of bicycle commuting. While public surveys consistently show that people are most com-
fortable using off-street facilities like sidepaths and trails, some on-street riding is necessary to
reach most destinations.
Educational and encouragement efforts can help bicyclists better understand the rules of the
road and best practices for safe riding, and introduce them to low-stress routes. The MPO pro-
duces a number of educational resources to support bicycle safety:
•Rules of the Road brochures produced by MPOJC are provided in English, Arabic, Chinese,
French, Spanish, and Swahili. These are available to all communities and organizations to
use digitally or in printed form.
•The MPO has worked with the City of Iowa City on the “Bike Shorts” video series to provide
brief lessons on bicycle safety and operation that can be shared on social media. To date,
17 videos have been produced.
•Drivers also need to be educated about sharing the road and safe passing. Iowa City transit
initiated staff training based on a Bicycle Friendly Driver program developed by bicycle ad-
vocates in Fort Collins, CO. In 2020, the MPO produced a video version of the training that
was provided to Coralville Transit, Cambus, and Johnson County SEATS. Input from drivers
who have watched the video training will be used to improve the training and make it avail-
able to other municipal and county departments.
•Speeding, distracted driving, and failure to yield to bikes and pedestrians are all real con-
cerns. A collision that resulted in the death of a bicyclist in Coralville in 2021 underscores
the vulnerability of bicyclists and pedestrians. Public awareness and education about safe
passing and the dangers of speeding and distracted driving (along with enforcement and
penalties) are essential for making streets safer for all users. The MPO provides a valuable
forum where communities can work collaboratively on programs and policies to encourage
safe driving.
The MPO provides a variety of educational
resources that are made available to all en-
tities and community organizations to use in
their bicycle safety programs. Resources are
available on the Bicycle Resources page on
the MPO ‘s website: MPOJC.org
COVID-19 Impact
The value of the trail network has never been more apparent than during the height of the COVID-19 pan-
demic when residents took to the outdoors for recreation, fitness, and safe social interaction.
With so many activities and indoor facilities closed, trail usage surged. Communities cleared snow from
additional trails during the winter and groomed others for skiing and fat tire bicycling. The MPO worked
with member entities to promote trail usage, releasing weekly route maps and hosting a series of six virtual
events (over Zoom) that introduced the public to various trails, trail features, and trail activities including
winter walking and running, bicycling, winter sports, and nature observation.
Trail counts were taken during Spring 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic when many facilities had just
closed, and again in the late summer and early fall. These charts (see left) document the surge in trail usage.
During the winter months, the MPO worked with communities/entities to promote trail usage as an alternative to indoor
facilities. Weekly route maps were published online and a series of Zoom sessions explored different aspects of the trail
network.
A c c o m p l i s h m e n t s
The recently completed Iowa River Corridor Trail link from Rocky Shore Drive In
Iowa City to Clear Creek in Coralville.
Extension of sidepaths along major corridors: Highway 1 in Iowa City, along Coral
Ridge Avenue in Coralville, and Ranshaw Way in North Liberty.
New arterials street segments completed with sidepaths and buffered bike lanes in
Iowa City: McColilster Boulevard, Foster Road, American Legion Road.
New bike lanes implemented with street reconstruction or resurfacing projects in
Iowa City, include Dodge Street, Governor Street, Clinton Street, Burlington Street,
Madison Street, and Benton Street.
Installation of green bicycle turn boxes at 3 intersections in Iowa City.
Expansion of Singletrack Mountain Bike Trails and the addition of Cyclocross Park
in Coralville.
Pedestrian refuge islands on Muscatine Avenue at the Court Hill Trail crossing and
planned for the Wade Street interesection; on Riverside Drive at Myrtle Street; and
planned for the Camp Cardinal Boulevard and Kennedy Parkway intersection.
Bicycle Friendly Community designations for Iowa City, Coralville, and University
Heights. Bicycle Friendly Workplace designations received for the Johnson County
Administrative Campus and Iowa City Downtown Campus.
Completion of a Pedestrian Collision Analysis for Iowa City.
Completion of a trail sign inventory for metro off-street trails.
Local bicycle advocates, businesses, and
the Convention and Visitors Bureau have
organized to promote the area for bicycle
tourism. Iowa City Area Development (ICAD)
has been instrumental in leading this effort
which includes promoting local trails, leisure
rides, and competitive events. The Bike Iowa
City website features a monthly calendar of
bicycle events and links to route maps. Most
recently, Bike Iowa City initiated a Bicycle Am-
bassador program that highlights innovative,
creative, community-minded people who are
enthusiastic about cycling in the Iowa City
area. The program invites the public to follow
along as the ambassadors explore the many
opportunities to ride in Johnson County.
1. Highway 6 Trail, between Broadway Street and Fairmeadows Blvd.
2. North Liberty Road Trail, between Penn Meadows Park and Salm Rd.
3. Clear Creek Trail connectioin, Camp Cardinal Road, between 2nd Street and
the Tom Harkin Trailhead.
4. Iowa River Trail, between Benton St and Sturgis Ferry Park.
5. Iowa River Corridor “Gateway” Trail Segment, between Park Rd and the
Hancher pedestrian bridge.
6. Old Hwy 218 Trail, south of Mormon Trek/McCollister intersection with
underpass at the intersection.
7. Old Hwy 218 Trail, between Sturgis Ferry Park and McCollister Blvd.
8. Herbert Hoover Hwy Trail, between Thunder Gulch and 1-80.
9. North Ridge Trail Reconstruction, south of Forevergreen Rd.
10. Morrison Creek Trail, between 5th and 10th Streets.
11. Forevergreen Rd railroad crossing.
12. Ireland Avenue connection, between the Villages development and the
Clear Creek Trail.
13. Ireland Avenue connection, between the railroad and the Clear Creek Trail.
14. Trail Reconstruction, Zone near 1st Ave and Iowa River.
15. Trailhead for Clear Creek Trail at Ireland Ave.
16. Iowa River Landing Pedestrian Bridge connecting across the Iowa River south of I-80.
17. Hwy 965 Trail, trail constrcution between Scales Bend Road and I-380.
18. Reconstruction of exisiting trail. 21. Willow Creek Trail under Highway 218.
19. Old Highway 218 Streetscape. 22. Reconstruction of existing trail.
20. Willow Creek Trail under Highway 1 23. Reconstruction of existing trail.
Fiscal constraint is a required component of long-range planning. This plan
includes only those projects that are eligible for federal funding, and can be
realistically completed based on anticipated revenues through 2050.
2022-2050STRATEGIES:
IMPROVING BICYCLE AND
PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION
Use bikability and walkability as tools to promote economic development and investment.
Expand participation in Bike-to-Work Week and Bike month.
Continue to pursue and promote "Bike Friendly" designations, including Bike Friendly Business designations.
Evaluate intersections and corridors with high pedestrian or bicycle collision rates and develop a mitigation plan.
Raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and walking.
Ensure safe bicycle/pedestrian access to all commercial/employment areas, schools, and parks.
Include connectivity as a criterion in land development processes.
Adopt bicycle parking ordinances in all Metro Area municipalities.
Ensure compliance with Complete Streets policies for all new and reconstructed road projects.
Continue to expand and enhance bicycle and pedestrian facilties, including the trail network.
Prioritize ADA transition plans to bring all streets, sidewalks, and bus stops into compliance.
Ensure routine maintenance and prompt repair to bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Design on-street facilities according to AASHTO and NACTO guidelines.
Increase participation in Safe Routes to Schools programs.
Develop educational programs to promote safe bicycling and walking.
Coralville Add shared use path crossing of CRANDIC Railroad on south side of Forevergreen Rd $190,000
Tiffin Grade and pave .50-mile trail extension along Ireland Ave to Villages Development $410,400
Tiffin Grade and pave .25-mile trail extension along Ireland Ave to connect to Clear Creek Trail $380,000
Coralville Reconstruction of trails in Zone 1. Zone 1 is located east of 12th Ave and south of I-80. Total
length: 1.5 miles $1,368,000
Tiffin Grade and pave trailhead $76,000
$13,520,826
$14,011,230
$490,404
Iowa City Construct a 10' trail along Highway 6 between Broadway St and Fairmeadows Blvd $4,524,000
North Liberty Construction of 8' wide trail from along the south side Penn St and south and west side of
North Liberty Rd $1,239,840
Coralville 0.34 mile trail connection on Camp Cardinal Blvd from Highway 6 to the Tom Harkin Trailhead $416,000
$6,179,840
$8,157,692
$1,977,852
2031-2040 bike and pedestrain projects (continued from previous page)
Bike and pedestrian projects are continued on next page
Highlighted projects have secured funding and are listed in the
Transportation Improvement Program.
Iowa City Extend the Iowa River Trail from Benton Street to Sturgis Park on the west side of the Iowa
River $3,981,306
Iowa City Construct a 10-foot wide trail between Park Rd (south) to the University of Iowa pedestrian
bridge $760,000
Johnson County
Construct a 1.2-mile sidepath on the west side of Old Hwy 218 south of the Mormon Trek
Blvd / McCollister Blvd intersection with an underpass at the intersection of Old Hwy 218 and
Oakcrest Hill Rd.
$1,824,000
Iowa City This project will construct an 8-foot wide sidepath adjacent to Old Hwy 218 between Sturgis
Ferry Park and McCollister Blvd $1,605,120
Johnson County Construct 1 mile of sidepath on the south side of Herbert Hoover Hwy/F44 connecting the
current sidepath ending on the east side of Thunder Gulch Rd.$1,520,000
Coralville Reconstruct 0.25 miles of North Ridge Trail immediately south of Forevergreen Rd $380,000
Coralville Shared use path extenstion along east side of Morrison Creek from 5th St to 10th St, with
pedestrian bridge connection to Applewood Trail north of 8th St $1,026,000
Coralville New pedestrian bridge spanning the Iowa River just south of I-80 $7,680,000
Johnson County Construct a 3.5 mile sidepath along Hwy 965 NW. The sidepath would begin at Scales Bend
Rd and travel northeast ending at I-380. $7,680,000
$15,360,000
$15,649,334
$289,334
Passenger TransportationThe “illustrative” bicycle and pedestrian projects listed cannot currently receive federal funding due to
fiscal constraint. It is These projects may become eligible should additional funds become available.
Coralville Reconstruction of trails in Zone 2. Zone 2 is located west of 12th Ave, south of I-80, and east
of Coral Ridge Ave. Total length: 3.5 miles $2,660,000
$2,660,000
Illustrative Bike and Pedestrian Projects 2031-2040
Iowa City
Streetscape improvements on Old Hwy 218 entrance - Sturgis Ferry Park to Hwy 6. This
project includes landscaping, lighting, and sidewalk improvements. The project should be
coordinated with Sturgis Ferry Park upgrade and/or Riverside Dr redevelopment project
$2,993,357
Iowa City Construct a trail from Wllow Creek Dr, under Hwy 1, around the perimeter of the airport, to
connect with Iowa River Corridor (IRC) Trail.$3,207,168
Iowa City Connect Willow Creek Trail from its current west terminus via a tunnel under Hwy 218, to
connect with the trail in Hunters Run Park and further west.$8,212,378
Coralville Reconstruction of trails in Zone 3. Zone 3 is located west of 1st Ave, north of I-80, east of
Coral Ridge Ave, and south of Oakdale Blvd. Total length: 2.7 miles.$2,400,000
Coralville Reconstruct trails in Zone 4. Zone 4 is located west of 1st Ave, north of Oakdale Blvd, east of
Coral Ridge Ave, and south of Forevergreen Rd. Length: 3.0 miles $2,880,000
$19,692,902
Iowa City, Coralville, and the University of Iowa
provide transit services and are coordinated
to provide connectivity across jurisdictional
boundaries. Service to North Liberty is provid-
ed by Coralville Transit. Metro area transit con-
sists of buses and paratransit vehicles.
NOTE: The map on this page shows the new
transit routes that were proposed in the Iowa
City Area Transit Study and adopted shortly
thereafter in 2021.
To deliver transportation services that support and promote a safe and comprehensive
transit system in the metropolitan area and to enhance access to opportunities and quality
of life for all individuals.
MPOJC provides transit planning and grant administration for Coralville Transit, Iowa City Tran-
sit, and University of Iowa Cambus. Coralville Transit and Iowa City Transit are municipal transit
systems operated by the City of Coralville and the City of Iowa City, respectively. University of
Iowa Cambus is an open-to-the-public transit system operated by the University of Iowa to serve
University facilities. Planning and programming activities are conducted by MPOJC for transit
capital and operating grant programs of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Iowa
Department of Transportation. These activities include:
•Production of planning documents necessary to implement the federally mandated plan-
ning process.
•Individual short- and long-range transit planning projects requested by MPOJC member
agencies.
•Planning administration associated with state and federal grant applications.
In developing the 2022-2027 Passenger Transportation Plan (PTP), MPOJC brought together four
existing transportation committees from the Iowa City Urbanized Area to form the Transporta-
tion Advisory Group (TAG). These four committees include representatives from area human
service agencies, fixed route transit service, ADA paratransit service, and mobility coordination.
The following organizations were represented on the TAG Committee:
•Johnson County Livable Communities Transportation Committee
•Johnson County SEATS Paratransit Advisory Committee
•Citizens Transportation Committee (CTC)
•Johnson County Mobility Coordinator Advisory Group
More information on PTP can be found in the Supporting Documentation on page X and at
https://www.mpojc.org/resources/publications
7.1 %
of workers 16 years or older who live
in Johnson County use public transit
to get to work
Source: 2019 American Community Survey
The University of Iowa employee van pool pro-
gram has been in operation for over 40 years.
Each rider pays a fee to participate. Since the
user fee does not cover the full cost of the pro-
gram, the University of Iowa Parking and Trans-
portation Department subsidizes 1/3 of the
costs. The program includes 15-passenger and
7-passenger vans. Vans are leased through the
University’s Fleet Services, which also provides
fuel and mechanical maintenance. The fee is
waived for vanpool drivers who are responsible
for the vanpool’s operation and keep the van
at their home.
In 2020, the program had 77 vans serving the
following communities: Ainsworth, Amana,
Anamosa, Cedar Rapids, Clarence, Columbus
Junction, Davenport, Hiawatha, Homestead, Ka-
lona, Keota, Marengo, Marion, Mount Pleasant,
Mount Vernon, Muscatine, North English, Olds,
Parnell, Riverside, Shueyville, Solon, Tipton,
Washington, Wellman, West Branch, West Lib-
erty, and Williamsburg.
•Continue to meet with the Passenger Transportation Plan (PTP) Committee every five years to
update the PTP and continue to utilize the Johnson County Livable Communities Transporta-
tion Committee, the Johnson County SEATS Advisory Committee, the Citizens Transportation
Committee, and the Mobility Coordinator Advisory Group during the years when the PTP
update is not scheduled.
•Continue to upgrade and renovate transit facilities for Coralville Transit, Iowa City Transit, and
Cambus.
•Continue to update and modernize transit vehicles and technology, such as electric buses
and mobile ticketing.
•Evaluate existing service and coordination of both fixed route and paratransit service; include
recommendations from the Iowa City Area Transit Study.
•Continue to promote trip-maker programs throughout the urbanized area, including Google
Transit and the Transit App.
•Consider recommendations from the Iowa City Area Transit Study regarding the need for a
lift-equipped vehicle for use during fixed route off hours, late night and weekend transit ser-
vice in the urbanized area.
•Consider recommendations from Iowa City Area Transit Study regarding new bus route ser-
vice in commercial areas.
•Support bus shelter revitalization and replacement programs in the urbanized area.
•Support ECICOG’s CorridorRides program after the completion of the I-80/I-380 interchange
project is completed.
•Support efforts to establish light rail service between Iowa City and North Liberty and Amtrak
service between Iowa City and Chicago.
•Continue to provide educational materials and ride training programs through the Mobility
Coordinator position with Johnson County.
Source: https://www.mpojc.org/resources/publications
•Long Range Transportation Plan
•Passenger Transportation Plan
•Transit Asset Management Plans
•Transit Safety Plans
•Federal Transit Program of Projects
•Federal Title VI/Limited English Proficiency
•Federal Disadvantaged Business Enter-
prises Program Plans and Goals
•Transportation Improvement Program
•Transit Triennial Reviews
•Section 5307 Operating Grant Adminis-
tration
•COVID-19 Funding Program Grants Ad-
ministration
•Public Participation Plan
•Iowa DOT Consolidated Funding Applica-
tions
•Quarterly and Annual Iowa DOT Reporting
•Monthly National Transit Database Re-
porting
•ADA Paratransit Appeals
Metro Area transit ridership increased dramatically between 2008 and 2014 during the Great
Recession. Then, as the economy recovered and gas prices fell, ridership declined. The onset of
the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 brought a dramatic decline in ridership - more than 40%
lower than the peak years of 2013-2015. This reflects business closures, pandemic restrictions,
and workers and students transitioning to online activities.
How and when transit ridership will recover is uncertain. The pandemic has dramatically re-
shaped how and where people work, attend school, and receive goods and services. These
changes are not likely to revert back to their pre-pandemic norms in the short term. How to
rebuild ridership and what the travel needs of the public will be post-pandemic will take many
years to understand.
•Fuel prices
•Service issues (e.g. on-time, schedules, routes)
•Employment (work from home, closures, economy)
•Introduction of ridesharing (i.g. Uber, Lyft)
•Housing density
•Affordability of personal vehicles/parking
R I D E R S H I PY E A R
The 2019-2020 Iowa City Area Transit Study (ICATS), is the result of public outreach, technical
analysis, and service planning conducted by Cambus, Coralville Transit, Iowa City Transit (the
study agencies), and consultant staff. The final product of the study is a fiscally constrained “Pre-
ferred Alternative” that makes detailed route-level recommendations for improving public transit
in the Iowa City area.
ICATS Goals: Goals for the study were developed based on public input collected through sur-
veys and in-person outreach, as well as from agency goals. The primary goals of the study were
to increase transit ridership, better collaborate across agencies, improve communication to rid-
ers, and take a regional approach to transit planning.
Public Outreach: Three major phases of outreach were conducted as a part of the ICATS: an
early fall onboard survey, a late fall series of in-person outreach events and survey, and a winter
series of in-person outreach events and surveys. The early fall onboard survey collected infor-
mation on rider behaviors, the late fall outreach and survey collected information on community
visions and goals for public transit, and the winter outreach collected feedback on three hypo-
thetical scenarios for improving transit in the Iowa City area. Feedback collected on these three
scenarios shaped the “Preferred Alternative”.
Recommendations: The “Preferred Alternative” for service was developed using public input,
market conditions, and existing ridership data. Initially, three scenarios were developed that
represented different principles of route planning and areas of emphasis. Following a public out-
reach and comment period on the three scenarios, a fiscally constrained “Preferred Alternative”
was developed to address operational issues, future growth, industry-standard best practices
for route design, and established project goals.
The Transit Study is available at https://www.icgov.org/project/iowa-city-area-transit-study
The most significant improvements are listed below by improvement category:
•15-minute peak period service on Iowa City Transit’s most popular route, Oakcrest, and
15-minute all-day service on the Iowa City Transit Southside Downtown Shuttle.
•20-minute peak period service on the Iowa City Transit Mall route to Kirkwood Community
College and South Iowa City.
•20-minute all-day CAMBUS service between the Hawkeye Commuter Lot, Aspire at West
Campus, the University of Iowa hospitals, and downtown Iowa City.
•Iowa City Transit Saturday service improvements.
•Restructuring Iowa City Transit routes with a single set of alignments, instead of operat-
ing two different alignments for each route.
•Shifting routes to arterials so riders can easily understand where a bus will take them.
•Simplify CAMBUS service to and from the Hawkeye Commuter Lot.
•A route numbering system to make the three systems easier for riders to understand.
•Shifting Coralville Transit and Iowa City Transit routes to major arterials for improved
speed and reliability.
•Eliminating time-consuming and dangerous deviations into parking lots.
•Shifting service off of roads with operational problems, such as Lee Street in Manville
Heights, and off of roads with congestion, such as Newton Road near the University of
Iowa Hospital.
•Better connections to major shopping destinations that eliminate the need to transfer
vehicles for many riders.
•Direct, all-day service between Iowa River Landing and downtown Iowa City
•A one-seat ride from the Pheasant Ridge neighborhood to the Walmart-anchored com-
mercial area south of Highway 1.
•Shifting away from ineffective loop routes to bi-directional alignments.
•A direct route from downtown Iowa City to commercial destinations in Coralville.
•Direct service to and from the Hawkeye Commuter Lot.
Users navigating the Metro Area system can track the loca-
tion of buses and plan their trips using the new Transit ap-
plication, which replaced the Bongo app in 2020. The new
app allows users to access bus routes, arrival predictions,
and GPS tracking across the three transit systems: Iowa
City, Cambus, and Coralville.
N e w C O V I D - 1 9 F u n d i n g S o u r c e s
The COVID-19 andemic has had a profound impact on transit in the Iowa City urbanized area,
with ridership plummeting by more than 66% between the first quarter of FY2020 and FY2021.
This sudden drop in ridership resulted in dramatic reductions in revenues from transit fares.
Business closures and other restrictions led to a transtion to online work and school that simi-
larly reduced student fees, parking fee, and subsequently, State transit funding. The cumulative
effect posed an unprecedented challenge for transit agencies.
Maintaining transit services is vital to maintaining the economic health of the community as many
people, including essential workers, rely on public transit services. The federal goverment re-
sponded by providing several rounds of emergency funding, subsidizing operating budgets in
order to sustain services during the public health emergency and in the coming years as impacts
of the pandemic continue.
The $25 billion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on
March 27, 2020. Through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) these funds were allocated to
recipients of urbanized area (Section 5307 funding) and rural area formula funds, including $22.7
billion for large and small urban areas. The funding is provided at 100-percent federal share,
with no local match required, and is available to support capital, operating, and other expenses
eligible under those programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 for operating
expenses incurred beginning on January 20, 2020.
The State of Iowa received $35,898,003 in CARES Act funding and allocated $8,331,763 to the
Iowa City Urbanized Area. These funds were subsequently apportioned to Iowa City Transit,
Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus using the MPOJC Section 5307 funding appor-
tionment formula.
MPOJC allocates state and federal transit fund-
ing based on a formula that gives equal weight
to revenue miles, fare revenues, operating and
maintenance costs, and locally determined in-
come. This formula was also used to allocate emer-
gency funding to address Covid-related impacts.
The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA) provid-
ed $14 billion in Federal funding allocations to continue to support public transportation systems
during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funding was signed into law on December 27,
2020 and included $1,532,506 for the Iowa City Urbanized Area to be apportioned to Iowa City
Transit, Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus.
The CRRSAA supplemental funding was provided at 100-percent federal share, with no local
match required. CRRSAA directs recipients to prioritize payroll and operational needs and will
also support expenses traditionally eligible under Section 5307 statutory requirements.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provided a total of $30.5 billion in federal funding to
support the nation’s public transportation systems as they continue to respond to the COVID-19
public health emergency. Funding through the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law on
March 11, 2021 and included $7,496,845 for the Iowa City Urbanized Area to be apportioned to
Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding is provided at 100-percent federal share, with no
local match required. The American Rescue Plan directs recipients to prioritize payroll and oper-
ational needs and will also support expenses traditionally eligible under Section 5307 statutory
requirements.
Over $17 Million
received in federal funding for transit to
assist with COVID-19 recovery in the Iowa
City Urbanized Area.
Iowa City Transit $5,109,870 $939,886 $4,597,815
UI Cambus $1,902,975 $350,024 $1,712,279
Coralville Transit $1,318,918 $242,596 $1,186,751
TOTAL $8,331,763 $1,532,506 $7,496,845
2021 ARPA
Funding
2021 CRRSA
Funding
2020 CARES Act
FundingTransit Agency
Fixed Route
Paratransit
Fixed Route
Paratransit
Fixed Route/Paratransit
Source: Asset Management Plans (2018)
As outlined in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the Federal Transit Ad-
ministration (FTA) requires transit providers achieve and maintain a state of good repair for the
nation’s public transportation assets through the development of Transit Asset Management
(TAM) Plans. The TAM Plans include an inventory of capital assets (over $50,000), a condition as-
sessment, and prioritization of future investments. TAM Plans are to be updated every four years.
Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus have established performance
measure targets for rolling stock, equipment, and facilities. The targets will use “useful life” and
“condition” benchmarks to measure performance annually.
•Rolling Stock State of Good Repair Target – Percentage of Revenue Vehicles within a
particular asset class that have met or exceeded their “useful life” benchmark.
•Infrastructure (rail, fixed guideway, track, signals and systems) State of Good Re-
pair Target – is not applicable at this time.
•Equipment (non-revenue service vehicles over $50,000 in acquisition value) State
of Good Repair Target – Percentage of Vehicles (maintenance trucks/maintenance equip-
ment) that have met or exceeded their “useful life” benchmark.
•Facilities State of Good Repair Target – Rates facilties with an asset class rated below
3.0 (5 being excellent) on the TERM (Transit Economic Requirements Model) Scale. See next
page for rating scale.
The Iowa DOT has also requested that MPOs develop transit performance targets for their ur-
banized areas. The MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board formally adopted the performance mea-
sures set by the three transit systems at their September 2017 meeting. MPOJC will identify the
performance measures and targets in MPO Plans and the Transportation Improvement Program
and report on progress toward meeting those targets.
Unique to the agency, the ULB takes into account an
individual agency’s operating environment. The ULB represents the expected
practical life cycle (or acceptable period of use in service) of the capital asset with
regular proper maintenance.
•Iowa City Transit: current vehicles are 40’ heavy duty and light-duty buses
•Coralville Transit: current vehicles are 40’ heavy duty and light-duty buses
•Cambus: current vehicles are 30’ and 40’ heavy duty buses
•Non-revenue support-service and maintenance vehicles over $50,000 in acquisition value
with the expected life of at least one year (maintenance trucks, maintenance equipment)
•Iowa City: Transit Facility (1200 S. Riverside Drive), Transit Downtown Annex (335 E. Iowa
Avenue), and Intermodal Facility (150 E. Court Street)
•Coralville: Operations Facility (900 10th Street) and Intermodal Facility (906 Quarry Road)
•University of Iowa: Maintenance Facility (517 S. Madison Street) and Administrative Facility
(840 Evashevski Drive)
1.0-1.9
2.0-2.9
3.0-3.9
4.0-4.7
4.8-5.0 No visible defects; new or near new condition.
Good condition but no longer new; may be slighlty defective or deteriorated,
but is overall functional.
Moderately deteriorated or defective components, but has not exceeded
useful life.
Deteriorated or defective components; in need of replacement; exceeded
useful life.
Critically damaged or in need of immediate repair; well past useful life.
Asset Category Asset Class
Rolling Stock 40' Heavy-Duty Buses
Light-Duty Buses
Equipment Service Vehicle
Facilties Transit
Facility/Storage
Transit Downtown
Annex
Court Street
Transportation Center
Asset Category Asset Class
Rolling Stock 40' Heavy-Duty Buses
Light-Duty Bus
Equipment Service Vehicle
Facilties Operations Facility
Intermodal Facility
Asset Category Asset Class
Rolling Stock 40' Heavy-Duty Buses
30' Heavy-Duty Bus
Heavy-Duty Minibus
Equipment Service Vehicle
Facilties Administrative Facility
Maintenance Facility
0% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 12 years
0% of facility rated under 3.0 on TERM scale
11% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 14 years
100% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 8 years
N/A
0% of facility rated under 3.0 on TERM scale
Performance Targets (FY18)
INITIAL PERFORMANCE TARGETS
N/A
100% of facility rated under 3.0 on TERM scale
0% of facility rated under 3.0 on TERM scale
0% of facility rated under 3.0 on TERM scale
0% of facility rates under 3.0 on TERM scale
Performance Targets (FY18)
10% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 14 years
66% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 8 years
48% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 14 years
Performance Targets (FY18)
21% of fleet exceeds FTA ULB of 8 years
N/A
100% of facility rated under 3.0 on TERM scale
Passenger Rail Service Studies
This 2015 study was commissioned by MPOJC, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa
DOT), and the CRANDIC Railroad (completed by HDR Inc.). The study explored the conceptual
feasibility of a passenger rail service operating in the existing 20.5 mile CRANDIC Corridor
between Gilbert Street in Iowa City and the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids. The study
identified potential types and modes of passenger rail service for the Corridor and identified
general capital and operating maintenance costs, service frequencies, service capabilities,
environmental regulations, and funding options. Capital costs for this service ranged from
$250 million to $500 million for the commuter rail service option. Most of this estimated cost
was attributed to the rail portion north of North Liberty due to the distance and rail conges-
tion near Cedar Rapids.
Phase I identified the Iowa City to North Liberty segment as feasible and warranted further
study. Stakeholders agreed to focus a Phase II feasibility study for rail service between Iowa
City and North Liberty only.
Phase II was completed in 2016. This phase explored the feasibility of passenger rail service
between Gilbert Street in Iowa City and Forevergreen Road in North Liberty, a distance of
7.1 miles. The study provided stakeholders with a conceptual assessment of existing corri-
dor conditions, conceptual passenger rail equipment and service plan, probable conceptual
capital and operations and maintenance costs, and potential alternatives that could reduce
the capital cost to implement the service. The capital cost identified in Phase II was approx-
imately $40 million.
Again, stakeholders agreed to continue studying the Iowa City to North Liberty segment and
focus a Phase III study on ridership, revenue forecasts, financial strategies, project funding,
benefits to the community, and conceptual station design.
The intent of the Phase III study was to focus on ridership, revenue forecasts, financial strat-
egies, benefits to the community, and conceptual station design.
A stakeholder presentation was held on July 17, 2020 with representatives from the CRANDIC
Railroad, Iowa Department of Transportation, the University of Iowa, urbanized area commu-
nities, and other interested parties.
•A 9.1-mile service from Gilbert Street in Iowa City to Penn Street in North Liberty.
1. Penn Street - Northern Terminus
2. Forevergreen Road
3. Oakdale
4. 1st Avenue/IRL
5. VA Hospital
6. Burlington Street
7. Dubuque Street - Southern Terminus
•Service every 30 minutes / 6am to 7pm, seven days a week.
•Six new self-propelled (push-pull configuration) railcars seating 75-85 people
per railcar including ADA accommodations and bicycle storage (four railcars
in-service and two spares).
•Ridership forecast of 1.4 million passengers per year/1.79 million passengers
per year by 2027.
- Eastern Iowa Airport served 1.3 million passengers in 2019.
- Iowa City Transit served 1.4 million passengers in 2019.
•$55 million up front capital expenditure.
•$4.8 million annual operating and maintenance costs.
•$2.1 million in fare revenue ($1.50/fare).
•$2.7 million in additional funding needed annually.
•Social and economic benefits.
The study is availble on the MPOJC website: https://www.mpojc.org/resources/publications
Amtrak – The Iowa DOT, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and
the Illinois DOT, are evaluating intercity passenger rail service between Chicago and Council
Bluffs-Omaha. Expanding passenger rail service through this corridor could reduce travel times,
and improve reliability versus other travel modes.
The Chicago to Council Bluffs-Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study Tier 1 En-
vironmental Impact Statement (EIS) was completed in 2012. The Tier I EIS focused on broad
corridor and service level issues such as evaluating potential routes, levels of service, ridership
potential, and environmental impacts. A Tier 2 EIS would include project level environmental
study, preliminary designs, right-of-way acquisition, construction of infrastructure upgrades, and
implementation of the service.
The State of Iowa, in conjunction with the State of Illinois, received FRA funding for a Chica-
go-to-Iowa City passenger rail service in which Iowa would implement the Quad Cities to Iowa
City section of the project. The State of Iowa has not matched any of the grant funding at this
time. Implementation depends on the Governor’s Office, the Iowa Legislature, and the FRA.
For more information visit https://iowadot.gov/iowarail/pdfs/Passenger%20Rail%20Hand-
out.pdf
Map: The map above shows Amtrak service to Iowa
City cin relation to other planned and potential future
routes.
The Iowa City Transit maintenance and bus
storage facility has been at its current site at
1200 South Riverside Drive since 1984. Built
on an old landfill site, the current facility does
not allow for future expansion or growth due
to soil and air quality issues. Remedial work
has been completed over the years to stabi-
lize the environmental issues, but the facility
has become more expensive to operate. A
new facility is estimated to cost $20 million.
Successes 2017-2022
Iowa City Area Transit Study - The 2019-2020 Iowa City Area Transit Study is the result of one
year of public outreach, technical analysis, and service planning conducted by Iowa City Transit,
Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus. The final product of the study is a fiscally con-
strained “Preferred Alternative” that makes detailed route-level recommendations for improving
public transit in the Iowa City Urbanized Area.
Goals for the study were developed based on public input collected through surveys and in-per-
son outreach, as well as from study agency goals. The primary goals of the study were to in-
crease ridership, better collaboration across agencies, improve communications to riders, and
take a regional approach to transit planning. The study addressed many of the needs identified
in the transit planning process over the past seven years, including:
•Lack of service during late night and early morning hours, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
•Inconvenient for some due to time consuming rides.
•Infrequent service to certain employment and/or shopping centers in the urban area or
surrounding communities.
•Lack of bus shelters in the metropolitan area.
The study can be found on the Iowa City website: https://www.icgov.org/project/iowa-city-
area-transit-study.
Johnson County Mobility Coordinator - In 2017, Johnson County created a Mobility Coor-
dinator position. Funding for the position is suppoted by the Iowa DOT, Johnson County, the
City of Iowa City and the City of Coralville. The Mobility Coordinator serves as Johnson County’s
single point of contact for transportation referrals, education and community outreach. The
coordinator also works to increase awareness of public transit, expand potential ridership and
works collaboratively to improve overall mobility for elderly, low-income persons, and persons
with disabilities.
Passenger Rail Studies - Three studies have been completed over the past two years exploring
passenger rail service between North Liberty and Iowa City. Implementation steps are currently
being considered by local governments. Passenger rail service to Cedar Rapids is not considered
at this time.
Bus Replacement - Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus have re-
ceived 26 new buses (both fixed route and ADA buses) since 2015. Iowa City Transit began using
4 electric buses in 2022. See next page for facts on electric buses.
P a s s e n g e r T r a n s p o r t a t i o n C h a l l e n g e s
Lack of federal and state funding for large capital projects: Nation-wide transit programs
continue to struggle with the lack of funding for both transit rolling stock and facilities. The cost
to replace transit buses beyond their useful life in Iowa is $161 million. Over the past five years,
Federal funding for bus replacement has averaged just over $7 million per year.1
Funding for transit facilities: Funding for bus maintenance and storage facilities is an issue
in Iowa as well as the metro area. Almost 88% of transit agencies in Iowa report a need for
additional vehicle storage capacity and 64% report a need for additional maintenance space.
Support for additional investment in bus fleet and bus facility infrastructure, at both the state
and federal level, has become a priority for all transit agencies.
Lack of funding for additional bus service programs: Over the past twenty years the hour-
ly cost to operate a fixed route transit bus in our metro area increased by 70%.2 As a result,
certain services were either eliminated or never implemented. Sunday transit service is one
program Iowa City and Coralville eliminated due to rising costs. Planned programs that target
late night and weekend services have also been put on hold due to budget issues.
Increase in private transportation options: Transportation Network Companies, such as
Uber and Lyft, and other ridesharing efforts are impacting local transit service efforts and bud-
gets. Coordination with these programs will be necessary as the public trend toward these
options.
Park and Ride Facilties: Additional park and ride facilities are necessary to reduce vehicle
congestion and the growing need for more parking in the central campus and downtown area
of Iowa City.
P a s s e n g e r T r a n s p o r t a t i o n O p p o r t u n i t i e s
Focus on long-term benefits of passenger rail service: Two separate passenger rail projects
have been studied in the metro area. The local commuter passenger rail project on the CRAN-
DIC rail line between Iowa City and North Liberty and the Amtrak project between Iowa City and
Chicago (to Des Moines and Omaha) continues to be studied by the Iowa DOT. The potential for
commuter rail service along the CRANDIC line has been thoroughly studied and is now being
evaluated. The rail corridor also presents an opportunity for bus rapid transit.
1. Iowa Public Transit Association legislative brochure. (2016)
2. MPOJC Transit Performance Statistics.
The City of Iowa City has added new electric buses to its fleet
with $3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Low-
and No-Emission Grant Program. The four Proterra ZX5 buses
replaced four older diesel buses with brand new, all-electric
technology.
Iowa City’s Electric Buses:
•travel 300 + miles on a
single charge—Iowa City
buses drive an average of
150 miles per day.
•have zero tailpipe emis-
sions.
•each week will save an
average of 6.6 tons of CO2
emissions per bus
STRATEGIES
IMPROVING PASSENGER
TRANSPORTATION
Freight Network
Provide input from local freight providers and users to Freight Advisory Council
Use advanced technology, performance management, innovation, competition, and accountability in operating the
freight transportation system.
Improve the contribution of the freight transportation system to economic efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness.
Reduce congestion of the freight transportation system.
Improve safety, security, and resilience of the freight transportation system.
Improve the state of good repair of the freight transportation system.
Reduce adverse environmental and community impacts of the freight system.
Source: IAIS.com
Source: travero.com
Provide and maintain a system of roads and rails within the Iowa City Urbanized Area that will allow
local industry to transport their goods safely and efficiently to other parts of Iowa, other states, and
foreign markets.
Within the Iowa City Urbanized Area motor carrier traffic is served by the Federal Interstate Sys-
tem, the network of Federal and State Highways, and the local arterial street system. Interstates
80 (east-west) and 380 (north-south) and U.S. Highways 6 (east-west) and 218 (north-south)
comprise the major routes for motor carriers in the urbanized area. State Highway 1 serves as
a major route in the urbanized area, connecting Iowa City and Solon. Together Highway 6 and
Highway 1 provide access to the the heaviest industrial uses in the area.
Freight rail service is provided on the Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) and the CRANDIC (CIC) Rail-
road. IAIS is a Class II railroad that extends east-west through the Iowa City Urbanized Area
between Omaha and Chicago. The CICis a Class III short line, extending between Cedar Rapids
(through the Iowa City urbanized area) and Hills, and between Cedar Rapids and the Amana Colo-
nies. CIC’s Iowa City to Hills line is leased by the IAIS. Most of CIC’s remaining rail service operates
between Cedar Rapids and the Amana Colonies where it intersects with the IAIS. IAIS has recently
constructed a switching yard and maintenance facility at this location.
Industrial and commercial land uses are the principal generators of truck and rail traffic. These
are possible indicators of where it may be necessary to provide special accommodation on the
street system and rail network for freight transportation. Conversely, the location of railroad cor-
ridors and highways drive the location of commercial and industrial zoning and land uses. For the
CIC line, the main products moved are coal, grain, food products, and paper. The commodities
moved along the IAIS include agricultural products, plastics, paper, steel, scrap, lumber, and coal.
Ethanol and feed markets throughout the country depend on this rail line as this is one of the
top carriers of these products.
MPOJC assists member governments with planning, programming, and funding improvements to
the arterial street system that include special accommodations for large trucks. Improvements to
the freight rail system are largely generated by the private sector, although MPOJC has assisted
with rail system improvements through state and federal grant programs. Safety, security, and
resiliency with respect to flooding and extreme weather events are important considerations for
the industry.
•Goods moving by truck are steadily increasing
after a brief decline in freight.
•Evolving and increasing oversize/overweight
movements.
•Railroad network has steadily decreased in
miles.
•Rail freight is increasing with larger rail cars
and longer trains.
•Increased emphasis on safety is yielding pos-
itive results.
•Record agricultural production and changing
practices mean reanalyzing the freight net-
work.
•Growth in United States energy production.
•Continuation of intermodalism/containeriza-
tion.
•E-commerce is growing and impacting market
trends and freight movement.
•Development of automated/self-driving vehi-
cles.
•Transportation needs associated with the
growth of Iowa’s biorenewable chemical in-
dustry.
•Use of natural gas as a transportation fuel.
Iowa Department of Transportation. (2017) Iowa in Motion:
State Freight Plan. https://iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/Spe-
cialized-System-plans/2017-State-Freight-Plan
S u c c e s s e s 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 2 2
Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP): Projects that receive funding for Iowa’s Clean
Air Attainment Program are those that would generally help reduce congestion, vehicle miles
traveled (VMT), and usage of single-occupant vehicles or improve traffic flow. Tiffin received
$500,000 in funding from the Iowa DOT f to build a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. High-
way 6 and Park Road (FY2018).
Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE): In the Fall of 2015, Tiffin received just over $1.5 mil-
lion in RISE funding to assist in developing Village Drive, north of I-80. This funding helped provide
light industry and professional offices in the area, including a gas station, a storage company, and
multi-family housing.
Iowa City Gateway Project: In 2018, the City of Iowa City invested in raising Dubuque Street
and the Park Road Bridge in order to minimize flooding events that cause delay and damage
infrastructure. Dubuque Street was raised to 1 foot above the 100-year floodplain level and the
Park Road bridge was raised to 1 foot above the 200-year floodplain level.
•Increased congestion and deteriorating
pavement conditions with projected large
truck traffic.
•Maintaining and improving Iowa’s infra-
structure in order to avoid weakening the
state’s economy.
•Infrastructure critical to the movement
of freight needs significant structural im-
provements.
•Lack of new, quality drivers in the com-
mercial trucking industry.
•Change in business operations, increas-
ing the size and number of trucks and
trains needed to move exports.
•Addressing issues in development of
competitive access, comprehensive loca-
tions, and policy-making decisions to in-
crease market share in global economy.
•Regulatory obstacles and their impacts
on freight.
•Rising transportation costs in connecting
manufacturers and producers with the
railroads for long-haul shipments.
Iowa Department of Transportation. 2017. Iowa in
Motion–State Freight Plan. https://iowadot.gov/io-
wainmotion/Specialized-System-plans/2017-State-
Freight-Plan
Photo: Iowa City’s Park Road Bridge/Gateway Project Photo courtesy HNTB
Interstate-80/Interstate-380 (US Hwy 218) Interchange Project: This ongoing project re-
places the existing interchange with directional ramps that will improve interstate and regional
travel, including freight. I-80 will be widened to eight lanes from the Ireland Avenue interchange,
two miles west of I-380, east to near the Coral Ridge/IA 965 interchange. I-380/U.S. 218/IA 27 will
be widened to six lanes from the Melrose Avenue interchange north approximately four miles to
the Forevergreen Road interchange. This project is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
Interstate-80/Herbert Hoover Highway Interchange Project: The proposed improvements
to I-80 from Iowa City to West Branch include widening the corridor from four to six-lanes. The
interchange at Herbert Hoover Highway will also be reconstructed as part of this project with a
new bridge and roundabouts at each ramp terminal. Daily traffic volumes on I-80 between Iowa
City and West Branch are approximately 45,000 vehicles per day with 35 percent truck traffic.
This project will improve freight movement through the area. Construction for this project began
in 2021 with grading and construction of new bridges scheduled to begin in 2021 and paving
scheduled to start in 2022.
Interstate-80/1st Avenue Interchange Project: The proposed improvements to I-80 and
the 1st Avenue interchange in Coralville include reconstruction with a diverging diamond inter-
change (DDI). The project is anticipated to begin in the fall of 2022 and will improve access to
Magellan Midstream Partners, a major provider of petroleum products located near the I-80 and
1st Avenue interchange.
Interstate I-380/Forevergreen Road Interchange Project: This new interchange was com-
pleted in coordination with the I-80/I-380 interchange project to reduce congestion at adjacent
interchanges and allow for a turn-around detour during the I-80/I-380 construction. This project,
which was completed in 2019, will improve freight movement and safety in this congested cor-
ridor.
The City of Coralville was awarded a $20.5 mil-
lion “Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage
Development” (BUILD) program grant in 2020
from the US Department of Transportation for
replacement of the existing standard diamond
interchange at Exit 242 (1st Avenue) on Inter-
state 80.
Most of Iowa’s freight will
continue to be moved by truck
and rail in 2040.
1,000 million tons via truck
123 million tons via rail
0.2 million tons via air
STRATEGIES:
IMPROVING FREIGHT
TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
Aviation Network
Provide input from local freight providers and users to Freight Advisory Council
Use advanced technology, performance management, innovation, competition, and accountability in operating the
freight transportation system.
Improve the contribution of the freight transportation system to economic efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness.
Reduce congestion of the freight transportation system.
Improve safety, security, and resilience of the freight transportation system.
Improve the state of good repair of the freight transportation system.
Reduce adverse environmental and community impacts of the freight system.
Located in Cedar Rapids, the Eastern Iowa Airport is the primary air
transportation gateway for eastern Iowa and parts of western Illinois.
Classified as a small hub, primary commercial service airport by the
FAA, it is home to two fixed base operators (The Eastern Iowa Airport
and Signature Flight Support), five airlines (Delta, United, American
Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Allegiant Air), the Transportation Se-
curity Administration (TSA), and seven rental car companies. Several businesses that rely on air
shipping are located on airport property, including Nordstrom, FedEx, UPS, and the United States
Postal Service.
In 2014, the Eastern Iowa Airport updated its airport Master Plan. The previous plan was com-
pleted in 2005. Airport officials, community leaders, and the general public all played an im-
portant role in the Master Planning process. Airport staff and Commission officials were closely
involved in the development of the Plan. A Master Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC) was also
appointed to assist in the preparation and met regularly throughout the study period to ensure
a comprehensive, community-based perspective. Two public open houses were also held during
the process to inform and engage the public.
Eastern Iowa Airport (2014) Airport Master Plan. https://flycid.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2014-Master-Plan.
pdf
Air cargo is increasingly an important part of the Eastern Iowa Airport’s business model with
nearly half of Iowa’s enplaned cargo passing through the airport up from 35-40% a few years
ago. In April and May of 2021, the Eastern Iowa Airport surpassed Des Moines for cargo shipping.
• Between 2019 and 2020, the Eastern
Iowa Airport had a decrease of 53.9% in
enplaned passengers and 29.6% in land-
ings while increasing by 5.3% in enplaned
cargo.
• Monthly passenger counts at all of Iowa’s
Commercial Service Airports dropped
from just under 375,000 in February 2020
to just under 25,000 in April 2020.
• Monthly passenger counts at all of Iowa’s
Commercial Service Airports increased
steadily throughout May and June of
2020, stabilizing to about 150,000 passen-
gers monthly and remaining at that level
through January 2021.
• State aviation fund revenues were down
about 40% due to lower aviation fuel tax.
Eastern Iowa Airport website, Iowa Freight
Advisory Council, (March 26, 2021); Iowa DOT Update
2 Iowa City Runways
36,000 Aircraft flight
operations annually in Iowa City
Aviation in Iowa contributes
approximately $5.4 billion
to Iowa’s economy while sup-
porting an estimated 47,223
jobs in Iowa with a payroll of
$2.7 billion annually
Iowa City Airport website,
Iowa DOT Aviation Tech Report
To have safe, quality facilities and services that support transportation demands while meeting eco-
nomic and quality of life needs in Iowa.
Office of Aviation, Iowa DOT
The Iowa City Municipal Airport is classified by the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) as a general aviation airport. General aviation
airports support local businesses, provide critical community access,
allow for emergency response, and provide other specific aviation
functions. General Aviation Airports are capable of supporting most general aviation aircraft,
including business jets. The 450-acre Iowa City Municipal Airport has 84 based aircraft, including
64 single-engine aircraft, 2 multi-engine aircraft, 6 jets, 2 helicopters, and 3 gliders. The airport
currently uses two runways and accommodates an estimated 36,000 annual aircraft takeoffs
and landings.
Iowa CIty Airport website https://iowacityairport.org/.
The Airport Master Plan process evaluated many aspects of the airport facility. The following
areas of emphasis have been specifically identified by the Airport Commission.
•Runway Alternatives
•Obstruction Evaluation
•Building Area Plan
•Surrounding Land Uses
•Financial Feasibility
Iowa City Municipal Airport. (2016) Airport Master Plan. https://www.iowa-city.org/WebLink/0/
edoc/1556865/Airport%20Master%20Plan%20-%20ALP%202016.pdf
Public and Agency Outreach
There were many forms of outreach through the Iowa City Municipal Airport Master Planning
process:
•Development of a Master Plan Advisory Group (MPAG)
•Airport User Survey
•Public Open House
•Community Meetings
Iowa City Municipal Airport. (2016) Airport Master Plan.
The opening of a new 53,800-square-foot UPS facility along with development of a new 479,000
square-foot FedEx Ground Packaging Systems Inc. warehouse and distribution center point to-
ward a substantial increase in air and freight on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids.
Additionally, the Eastern Iowa Airport is certified as the State of Iowa’s first industrial Super Park
with 582 acres of development-ready property. Immediate access to rail and proximity to the
interstate are essential features to the designation.
The Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA) serves trav-
elers from eastern Iowa and western Illinois regional ar-
eas. There are currently five airlines serving 15 nonstop hub cities. The QCIA enplaned 672,468
passengers in 2019. Between 2010 and 2017, counties on license plates were counted to help
determine where passengers were from. Of the plates counted, 69% of the vehicles were from
Iowa, 25% were from Illinois, and 6% were from elsewhere. More specifically, Scott County, IA,
had the most vehicles in the parking lot, followed by all of Illinois and Johnson County, IA.
Planning issues for aviation were outlined in the Iowa Aviation State Plan (IASP), which serves as
a guide for aviation stakeholders to ensure that the aviation system can meet the needs of users
over the next two decades. The plan includes recommendations for airport sponsors, the Iowa
DOT, and FAA that address the following key issues.
• Approach obstruction mitigation is needed to improve the percent of primary runways with
clear approaches.
• Height zoning is needed to encourage compatible land uses around airports.
• Continuation of aviation weather observing stations maintenance and operation is needed
for pilot safety and weather information dissemination.
• Strategic planning is needed to incorporate business and local concerns in airport planning.
• Increased funding is needed to improve the percent of airports meeting recommended facil-
ity targets.
• Recommended service targets should be met to provide services adequate to meet user
needs.
• Air service changes should be monitored to identify potential impacts to communities in
Iowa.
• Continued safety initiatives are needed, including wildlife mitigation, pilot safety programs,
pavement marking, and maintenance.
Iowa DOT Aviation Technical Report. (2017) Iowa in Motion – State Freight Plan. https://iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/
files/Iowa_State_Freight_Plan_FINAL.pdf
• Increased use of light sport aircraft, very light jets, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
• Shift from ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of traffic
management through NextGen.
• Decrease in general aviation, increase in business aviation, increase in agriculture spraying
planes, increase use of regional jet aircraft, increase in e-booking, increase in kiosk use,
constant military use of airports.
• Implementation of sustainable actions (reduce environmental impacts, maintain high and
stable economic growth, achieve social progress).
• Depend on more sustainable sources of fuel, such as biofuel, and phase out lead from
current aviation fuel.
• Air cargo decline over past ten years as main companies move to trucking.
Iowa DOT Aviation Technical Report. (2017) Iowa in Motion – State Freight Plan. https://iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/
Specialized-System-plans/2017-State-Freight-Plan
A conceptual rendering of the Cedar Rapids
Land and Air Super Park located along 76th
Avenue SW. Development in the 582-acre
business park will help the airport meet an FAA
directive to become as financially self-sufficient
as possible. (Image courtesy of Shive Hattery)
STRATEGIES:
IMPROVING AVIATION
TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
Establish guidelines that help all airports and communities promote land use planning and compatible land use
around airports.
Develop facilities and services at select airports to meet the needs of personal and business travelers.
Develop a system of enhanced airports to meet the needs of corporate aircraft.
Build hangars to meet the needs of based aircraft at all airports.
Identify and address obstructions to primary runway approaches at all airports.
Supporting Documentation
Each year, the Institute for Transportation at
Iowa State University (InTrans), collects pave-
ment condition data for roads in Iowa. As part
of this data collection, InTrans record the Pave-
ment Condition Index (PCI), which gives users
the level of quality they should expect when
driving on the roadways. The PCI ranges from
zero to one hundred, with one hundred being
the best possible score a roadway can receive.
PCI is summarized and mapped below for each
community.
For more information on the program please
visit: http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/ipmp/.
North Liberty
Iowa City Transit (includes University Heights):
Iowa City Transit provides service on 17 regular routes from 6:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. All routes
operate daily with 30-minute service during peak periods. The Seventh Avenue (during a.m. and
p.m. peak periods), Melrose Express, Westside Hospital, Eastside Express, and Westport routes
operate hourly all day long. Midday service is hourly except on the Towncrest and Oakcrest
where service is 30 minutes all day during the University academic year. The Eastside Loop and
Westside Loop operate when Iowa City schools are in session. Hourly evening service is provid-
ed to the same general service area using combined routes, from 6:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Saturday
service operates hourly all day with service ending at 7:00 p.m. There is no fixed route service
on Sundays. Iowa City Transit also extends service to Chatham Oaks Care Facility located on the
west side of Iowa City.
During peak periods Iowa City Transit operates 20 buses. Eight buses operate weekdays off-
peak and all day Saturday. During evening hours five buses are in service. The Downtown Iowa
City Transit Interchange is the hub of Iowa City Transit’s operations. All regular routes arrive and
depart at the interchange except for the Eastside Loop, allowing for coordinated transfers be-
tween buses. There is one free-fare route, the Downtown Transit Shuttle.
The existing fare structure is:
• $1.00 base fare (children under 5 years
old are free)
• $0.75 youth (K-12th grade)
• $1 per family - Saturday Family Fare
Discounted Fares:
• $0.50 Elderly (60 years old and up)
• $0.50 Medicare Card
• Disabled/low-income elderly and Johnson
County SEATS card holders are free
MPOJC Fiscal Years 2022-2027 – March 2021
Current Fixed Route/Paratransit Transit Programs:
Bus Passes:
• $2.00 24-hour pass
• $8.50 10-ride pass
• $32.00 31-day adult pass
• $27.00 31-day youth pass
• $240.00 annual University of Iowa student
U-pass
• $100.00 semester pass for Kirkwood Com-
munity College students
• $100.00 youth semester pass
• $28.00 monthly University of Iowa faculty/
staff pass
• $27.00 low-income monthly pass
Free transfers are available and may be used
on Coralville Transit.
All Iowa City Transit fixed route buses are lift-
equipped. Demand responsive paratransit
service is provided during fixed-route service
hours, operated by Johnson County SEATS.
Coralville Transit (includes North Liberty):
Coralville Transit operates two routes on weekdays between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; one addi-
tional route weekdays during the a.m. and p.m. peak hours; and one evening route until 12:00
a.m. An additional peak hour (tripper) route provides service to the core area of Coralville during
the a.m. and p.m. rush hours when the University of Iowa is in session. The Lantern Park and
Tenth Street routes operate in the core area of Coralville with half hour headways except during
midday when headways are one hour. The Express Route operates on a 75-minute headway in
the a.m. and p.m. peak, with no midday service (no service at Coral Ridge Mall). Saturday service is
provided on one route that serves the Lantern Park/10th Street service area from 7:00 a.m.-7:30
p.m. Coralville Transit offers a commuter route to North Liberty on weekdays from 7 a.m.-8 a.m.
and 5 p.m.-6 p.m. There is no midday service and this route does not service Coral Ridge Mall.
Coralville Transit operates seven buses during weekday peak periods, three buses off peak, and
one bus evenings and Saturdays. No service is offered on Sunday. The tripper route does not
operate during University of Iowa summer and interim periods. All Coralville Transit routes in-
terchange at Coral Ridge Mall, the Downtown Iowa City Transit Interchange, and at University of
Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Fares:
• $1.00 base fare (children under 5 years
old are free)
• $0.75 youth (5-15 years old)
• $1 per family - Saturday Family Fare
Discounted Fares:
• Senior and disabled (65 years old and up)
are free
• $0.50 Medicare Card
• Disabled/low-income elderly and Johnson
County SEATS card holders are free
University of Iowa Cambus:
Cambus provides service on 13 routes Monday through Friday, and four routes Saturday and
Sunday during the academic year. Cambus is a no fare service designed to facilitate circulation
throughout the University campus. Although designed primarily to serve University students,
faculty and staff, Cambus is also open to the general public.
Cambus operates two separate levels of service throughout the year. Academic year service
is the highest level of service, summer/interim service is approximately 75% of academic year
service. Differences in level of service are in the amount of service provided, not in the areas
served. The service area remains the same during both periods.
The primary routes, Red and Blue, operate in nearly identical clockwise and counter clockwise
loops which serve the residence halls, University Hospitals, most academic buildings, Iowa City,
and commuter parking lots. The Red, Blue, Interdorm, and Hawkeye-Interdorm routes are the
only routes which operate on Saturday and Sunday, for 28 weeks per year. The other routes
are designed for specific functions: service to the Research Campus, service to residence halls,
service to the commuter lots, service between main campus and the hospital area, and service
to the Hawkeye campus.
During the academic year Cambus operates 26 buses during daytime peak hours, 8-12 buses
between 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and five buses between 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Weekend
service on the Red, Blue, Hawkeye-Interdorm, and Interdorm routes operate between 8:30 a.m.
and 1:00 a.m. with four buses. Cambus also operates a Safe Ride service on Friday and Saturday
nights from midnight to 2:20 a.m. with two buses.
All Cambus fixed route buses are low-floor and ramp equipped. Cambus operates a special
paratransit system, Bionic Bus. Similar to the fixed-route system, it is intended for University
students, faculty and staff, but is also open to the public. The Bionic Bus system operates small
accessible buses on a demand responsive basis. Service hours are the same as fixed route
scheduled hours on Saturday and Sunday. A reduced level of service is provided during summer
and interim periods.
University of Iowa Employee Van Pool:
Iowa City and Coralville Transit systems con-
tract with Johnson County SEATS for provi-
sion of complimentary demand-responsive
paratransit service during fixed-route service
hours. Johnson County SEATS also provides
scheduled demand response service to all
residents outside of the metropolitan area in
Johnson County.
To qualify for SEATS service in the urbanized
area, you must have a transportation disabil-
ity that precludes you from utilizing fixed-
route service. While all fixed-route buses are
now lift-equipped, SEATS is available to pick
up and drop off passengers who are unable
to, or are not mobile enough, to reach a stan-
dard bus stop.
Iowa City Transit provides 14 vehicles to
Johnson County SEATS for use in Iowa City,
Coralville Transit provides 4 vehicles for use
in Coralville, and ECICOG provides 10 buses
for use in Johnson County. All of the SEATS
vehicles are ADA accessible.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments
(ECICOG): ECICOG manages funding and
contracts with third-parties to provide Corri-
dorRides, a regional transportation service.
CorridorRides includes Rural Dail-A-Ride,
380Express (a commuter service between
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City), and VanPool and
carpool programs.
Bus Passes:
• $20.00 20-ride pass
• $32.00 31-day adult pass
• University of Iowa student U-pass are
accepted
All Coralville Transit fixed route buses are
lift-equipped. Demand responsive paratransit
service is provided during fixed-route service
hours, operated by Johnson County SEATS.
Iowa City Community School District (North American Central School Bus):
118 buses (12 ADA buses)
107 Routes
1 charter bus
Iowa City Regina School District (Central Iowa Transit):
6 buses (0 ADA buses)
6 routes
1 charter bus
1 bus for Hawk Ridge (University of Iowa)
Clear Creek-Amana School District:
28 buses (4 ADA buses)
18 routes
4 vans
Willowwinds School:
1 vehicle (non-ADA)
The Iowa City School District is served by North American Central School Bus, the Iowa City
Regina School District is served by Central Iowa Transport, and the Clear Creek-Amana School
District provides in-house bus services (some service is outside of the Iowa City metropolitan
area). North American Central School Bus also offers charter services not under the current
school district contract. Central Iowa Transit also offers charter service and contracts with the
University of Iowa for transportation services between Hawk Ridge Apartments and campus.
Willowwinds Schools is a small private facility with 30 students and has 1 van for school activi-
ties.
• 4Cs/Hometies* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Iowa City Housing Authority
• Mayors Youth Employment Program* (MYEP) (non-ADA vehicles)
• Pathways* (adult daycare) (non-ADA vehicles)
• Access2Independence (adult daycare)
• Reach for Your Potential (adult daycare)
• Chatham Oaks* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Goodwill Industries
• Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation
• Crisis Center
• United Action for Youth* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP)
• Johnson County Social Services
• Johnson County General Assistance
• ARC of Southeast Iowa
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Elder Services, Inc./RSVP
• Four Oaks
• Handicare Inc* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Neighborhood Services (2 locations)
• Salvation Army
• Kirkwood Skills to Employment
• Systems Unlimited
• Shelter House* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Successful Living
• Hawkeye Area Community Action Program
• Prelude
• ICCSD Family Resource Center* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Solon Senior Advocates* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Iowa City/Johnson County Senior center
Very few human service agencies have their own vehicles and when they
do, they have very specific uses for those vehicles. Many human ser-
vice agencies indicated that they would prefer not to have their own
vehicles since they are expensive to maintain and operate. From past
surveys and meetings, we learned that the most common issue facing
human service programs is the lack of public transit service options to
meet their needs. Their clients often spend too much time on certain
bus routes before reaching their destination. Human service agencies
continue to utilize public transit as much as possible and work public
transit into their daily operations and programs.
Interstate Bus Services:
• Burlington Trailways (Iowa City Court Street Transportation Center)
• Mega-Bus (Coralville Intermodal Facility, Iowa River Landing)
Currently, the Iowa City Court Street Transportation facility contracts with one intercity bus
company, Burlington Trailways, for regularly scheduled stops in the Iowa City Urbanized Area.
Mega-bus also makes frequent stops at the Coralville Intermodal Facility in the Iowa River Land-
ing.
Senior Living/Independent Living Facilities (*transportation services):
• Legacy Active Retirement Community-Iowa City* (ADA vehicles)
• Melrose Meadows Assisted Living-Iowa City* (ADA vehicles)
• Oaknoll Retirement Residence-Iowa City* (ADA vehicles)
• Walden Place-Iowa City* (non-ADA vehicles)
• Bickford Senior Housing-Iowa City* (ADA vehicles)
• Grand Living at Bridgewater-Coralville
• Coralville Senior Residences-Coralville
• Diamond Senior Apartments-Iowa City
• Brown Deer Place Retirement Living & Memory Care-Coralville* (ADA vehicles)
• Capitol House Apartments-Iowa City
• Citizen Building Apartments-Iowa City
• Concord Terrace Apartments-Iowa City
• Coral Village Apartments-Coralville
• Ecumenical Towers-Iowa City* (ADA vehicles)
• Jefferson Point-North Liberty* (ADA vehicles)
• Lexington Place-Iowa City* (ADA vehicles)
• Liberty Housing Company-North Liberty
• North Liberty Living Center-North Liberty
• Regency Heights-Iowa City
• Keystone Place at Forevergreen-North Liberty* (ADA vehicles)
• Vintage Cooperative of Coralville-Coralville
Taxi Service
• Big Ten Taxicab (7 vans) (non-ADA vehicles)
• Yellow Cab (10 vans, 11 cars) (one ADA vehicle)
The list of taxi cab services comes from the City of Iowa City’s list of permitted taxi cab com-
panies. These cab companies operate throughout the Iowa City Urbanized Area but are only
required to have an operating permit in Iowa City. Yellow Cab operates one lift equipped van
for persons with disabilities.
Airport Transportation Services:
• Eastern Iowa Airport-Airport Shuttle Service (non-ADA vehicles)
Hotel Shuttles:
• Spring Hill Suites by Marriott - Coralville (non-ADA vehicles)
• Coralville Marriott Hotel and Convention Center (non-ADA vehicles)
• Residence Inn by Marriott - Coralville (on-site car rental) (non-ADA vehicles)
• Home2 Suites by Hilton - Iowa City/Coralville (shuttle) (non-ADA vehicles)
• Homewood Suites by Hilton - Coralville Iowa River Landing (shuttle) (non-ADA vehicles)
• Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott - Coralville (on-site car rental) (non-ADA vehicles)
• SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western - Iowa City/Coralville (non-ADA vehicles)
• Mainstay Suites (shuttle) (non-ADA vehicles)
There were 35 hotels identified in the Iowa City Urbanized Area with 8 of them providing trans-
portation services for their guests.
Medical Transport/Ambulance Services/Hospital Transportation Services:
• Advanced Medical Transport
• South East Iowa Ambulance
• Corridor Medical Shuttle
• VA Medical Center
• On Time Medical Transportation
• CARE Ambulance
• Road to Recovery
Day Cares with Transportation Services:
• Hundred Acre Woods (non-ADA vehicles)
• Kiddie Konnection (non-ADA vehicles)
• La Petite Academy (non-ADA vehicles)
Of the over 50 licensed childcare facilities in the Iowa City Urbanized Area, only three have their
own transportation services. The services include pick up and drop off at schools and field
trips.
Johnson County SEATS:
Iowa City and Coralville Transit systems contract with Johnson County SEATS for provision of de-
mand-responsive paratransit service. Johnson County SEATS provides scheduled service to ru-
ral Johnson County, and ADA service to the cities of Iowa City, Coralville, and University Heights.
Paratransit service is available during the fixed-route service hours, as well as on Sundays from
8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
To qualify for SEATS service, you must have a transportation disability that precludes you from
utilizing fixed-route service. While all fixed-route buses are now lift-equipped, SEATS is available
to pick up and drop off passengers who are unable to, or are not mobile enough, to reach a
standard bus stop.
Johnson County SEATS also provides demand response service throughout Johnson County.
Status of Past Priorities/Strategies
Service Needs
Lack of public transit service during late night and early morning hours, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020. Implementation of new programs are being considered.
Public transit may be very inconvenient for some due to time consuming rides on public transit.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020.
Public transit may not provide frequent enough service to certain employment and/or shopping centers in the urban area
or surrounding communities.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020. Implementation of new programs are being considered.
Distribute more training and education material to potential users of public transit. Including the Livable Communities
Transportation brochure.
UPDATE: Part of Mobility Coordinator Position. - Expanded to include virtual trainings and technical assistance for use of Transit
App.
Evaluate the need for fixed route and/or demand response transit service to Tiffin. Consider options to pay for service.
UPDATE: Determined to not be necessary at this time. Future consideration.
Evaluate need for additional bus shelter facilities, including future shelters in North Liberty and Tiffin. The implementation
of the Bongo program may reduce the need for more shelters. Reduced budgets and increased maintenance costs are also
prohibiting the placement of more shelters.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020. New shelters are being installed by Iowa City Transit and Cambus
annually. Bongo program has been replaced by Transit App (with real time GPS location for buses) and stop/route planning infor-
mation is available on Google Maps.
More park and ride facilities are necessary to reduce vehicle congestion and the growing need for more parking in the
downtown Iowa City area and at the University of Iowa.
UPDATE: Developing Park and ride facilities considered in University of Iowa Parking Study. Iowa DOT also produced a Park and
Ride study including urban and rural parts of Johnson County.
Consider the need for a bus/light rail service between Iowa City urbanized area and Cedar Rapids.
UPDATE: Three studies have been completed over the past two years exploring passenger transportation service between North
Liberty and Iowa City. Implementation steps being considered by local governments. Passenger rail service to Cedar Rapids is no
longer being considered at this time due to cost.
The three transit agencies continue to work with ECICOG in coordinating the CorridorRides program. Even though
ridership in the program has been greatly affected by COVID-19, the three transit agencies will continue its support
of the program and work to improve ridership until the I-80/I-380 reconstruction is complete. Reevaluation of the
program will take place at that time.
Evaluate business demand for transportation services outside of the Iowa City urbanized area, including Riverside
Casino and Amana.
UPDATE: Ride sharing and van pool programs have been developed by the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (the
regional transit provider). Discussions for bus service are ongoing.
Continue to support the Volunteer Transportation Coordinator position with Elder Services. This service targets
persons with disabilities that cannot utilize fixed route or paratransit service. This position coordinates a door-
through-door service with the support of the local medical community.
UPDATE: Program now funded by The United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties.
Lack of bus shelters in metropolitan area.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020. Implementation of new programs are being considered.
Consider more partnerships in order to provide late night, holiday, and weekend transit service.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020. Implementation of new programs are being considered.
Lack of an ADA accessible vehicle for use by private sector for service after fixed route and paratransit service
hours end.
UPDATE: Yellow Cab does provide an ADA service but is very expensive and not a good alternative for many low-income
individuals. Further consideration is necessary.
Fleet Needs
The spare ratios for the three transit systems in the urbanized area including fixed route and paratransit buses. The
total number of buses for the Coralville Transit fleet is 13, Iowa City Transit 38, and Cambus 34. Almost half of the
buses in the three fleets are older than 12 years. The following spare ratios are currently in effect for each system:
Coralville Transit: 30% (3 spares/ 13 total/ 10 peak)
Iowa City Transit: 23% (7 spares/ 38 total/ 30 peak)
University of Iowa Cambus: 17% (5 spares/ 34 total/ 29 peak)
UPDATE: Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus have received 26 new buses (both fixed route
and ADA buses) since 2015.
The local human service agencies have limited fleets and little funding to expand or repair existing fleets. Many
agencies must rely on public transportation, donations, or resort to using personal vehicles when transporting cli-
ents.
UPDATE: More study is needed.
As the need for service grows so does the need for equipment. Newer and more efficient buses are needed in or-
der to keep costs down. New routes are anticipated where expansion will be necessary.
UPDATE: Iowa City Transit will begin using 4 electric buses later in 2021.
Facility Needs
Coralville Transit has plans for an intermodal facility to be located in their new Iowa River Landing Development Area.
This redevelopment area will include not only the new intermodal facility but also a hotel and conference center
(completed in 2006), professional office and retail space, public recreation, open space, and trails. This intermodal
facility will include a transit interchange/hub for Coralville Transit and will be fully operational for paratransit services
for Johnson County SEATS and Cambus. The facility will also provide taxicab and intercity bus accommodations,
a park-and-ride program, bicycle facilities, and will include administrative offices for transit and parking. Coralville
has already received three “earmarks” for design and engineering totaling about $1,500,000. The total cost for this
facility is over $18,000,000. Coralville Transit has recently hired a consultant to design and engineer the intermodal
facility. Earmark funds will pay for the D/E. Coralville Transit has received four earmarks for the intermodal facility
totaling $2,466,980. In 2011, the City of Coralville received a $4 million Livability Grant from FTA to be used in the
construction of the intermodal facility. Coralville is currently designing the facility to be built in phases. Construction
will begin in 2014.
UPDATE: Coralville Transit’s Intermodal Facility in the Iowa River Landing district was completed in 2015. Planning for
Phase II expansion is ongoing.
The Iowa City Transit facility is undersized and has significant environmental issues due to it being constructed on top of an
old dump site. Cracks in the utilities infrastructure underneath the building cause significant air quality issues. The flood
of 2008 also damaged the pipes underneath the facility. Driveways and parking areas have settled 4 to 6 feet. Settling
and methane gas issues have made it difficult to expand the facility and maintenance costs continue to increase. Iowa
City plans to implement a feasibility study for a new transit facility in 2012 with construction to begin in 2015 if funding is
secured through federal earmarks. The cost of the project is estimated at $20 million. Iowa City Transit received $64,000
for building repair through PTMS in FY2007. These building repairs were completed in the spring of 2008. Iowa City Transit
invested over $200,000 in improving the air quality at their current transit/maintenance facility in 2000 and 2001.
UPDATE: Iowa City Transit continues to pursue funding options for the construction of a new Transit Maintenance/Storage Facility
to be located in the public works complex located on South Gilbert Street. Repairs on current facility are ongoing.
In FY2007, Cambus received $64,000 from PTMS to install a sprinkler system in their existing maintenance facility. The
facility is located along the Iowa River and was damaged by the 2008 flood. In FY08 Cambus received $880,000 in funding
through the State’s RIIF program to expand their current bus storage facility. Cambus also utilized $230,000 in 5310 funds
(FY2007 and FY2008) in the expansion project. Before the expansion Cambus could not house their entire transit fleet
inside, leaving 25% of the fleet outside. A site and program study has been conducted by the University of Iowa and it has
been determined that a joint use facility, along with the University of Iowa’s Fleet Services Division, would provide the op-
portunity for a more efficient and cost effective facility. Staffing and equipment would also be shared by the two university
divisions. Future opportunities continue to be evaluated.
UPDATE: Renovations to the interior and exterior of existing facility were completed in 2019. Cambus received $600,000 in funding
through the Iowa DOT’s RIIF program to fund the renovations. Bus storage at this location is currently at its maximum capacity.
The need for additional bus stop shelters was identified by the Johnson County Livable Communities Transportation Com-
mittee and the Johnson County SEATS Paratransit Committee.
UPDATE: Part of the Iowa City Transit Study completed in 2020. Implementation of new programs are being considered. Cambus
implemented the study’s recommendations in the Fall of 2020.
Cambus continues to monitor the impacts of the growth of University facilities, including parking, and University Hospitals
and modifies services as needed.
At their January meetings, the MPOJC PTP (TAG) Committee made the following recommendations to the MPOJC Urbanized
Area Policy Board. The Urbanized Area Policy Board held a public hearing and approved the following recommendations at
their March 31, 2021 meeting. The following recommendations include 5-Year Priorities, other Long-Term Priorities, Goals
and Objectives, and 5310 funding.
5 Year Priorities
• Continue to meet with the PTP Committee every five years to update the PTP and continue to utilize the Johnson County
Livable Communities Transportation Committee, the Johnson County SEATS Advisory Committee, the Citizen Transpor-
tation Committee, and the Mobility Coordinator Advisory Group during the years when the PTP update.is not scheduled
(agendas and minutes). All four committees will be asked to participate during the update year and will meet at least
twice.
• Continue to upgrade and renovate transit facilities for Coralville Transit, Iowa City Transit, and Cambus.
• Continue to update and modernize transit vehicles and technology, such as electric buses and mobile ticketing.
• Evaluate existing service and coordination of both fixed route and paratransit service; include recommendations from
the Iowa City Area Transit Study.
• Continue to promote trip-maker programs throughout the urbanized area, including Google Transit and the Transit App.
• Consider recommendations from Iowa City Area Transit Study regarding the need for a lift-equipped vehicle for use
during fixed route off hours, late night and weekend transit service in the urbanized area.
• Consider recommendations from Iowa City Area Transit Study regarding new bus route service in commercial areas.
• Support bus shelter revitalization and replacement programs in the urbanized area.
• Support ECICOG’s CorridorRides program after the completion of the I-80/I-380 interchange project is completed.
• Support efforts to establish light rail service between Iowa City and North Liberty and Amtrak service between Iowa City
and Chicago.
Continue to provide education materials and ride training programs through the Mobility Coordinator.
Other Long Term Priorities
• Develop programs for senior riders through Johnson County Livable Communities Senior Transportation Committee.
• Continue to evaluate park-and-ride programs in the urbanized area.
• Continue to evaluate bus routes to residential areas outside of the urbanized area.
• Look for corporate partners in transportation programs.
Goals and Objectives
From the above identified deficiencies and needs, the following goals and objectives were developed:
Goal: Extend off-hour service options including ADA service.
1. Objective: Support Iowa City Transit’s efforts to utilize CAREAS Act funding on evening service, late night service, and
Sunday service.
2. Objective: Consider recommendations from Iowa City Area Transit Study regarding the need for a lift-equipped vehicle
for use during fixed route off hours, late night and weekend transit service in the urbanized area.
3. Objective: Ensure that all off-hour programs are seamless between transit agencies.
Goal: Update and expand transit facilities and technology.
1. Objective: Continue to pursue funding options for Iowa City Transit’s new transit storage/maintenance facility. A lo-
cation has been determined. Due to the current condition of Iowa City’s Transit Facility FTA is encouraging Iowa City
Transit to pursue federal funding.
2. Objective: Support the continued upgrades and expansion of the transit maintenance facility for Cambus.
3. Objective: Consider joint projects for the three fixed route transit operations and ensure that these programs are
seamless between transit agencies.
4. Objective: Provide support for the upgrade and expansion of additional enclosed bus stop shelters and include addi-
tional signage and bus route information at each stop.
Goal: Support the implementation of the recently completed Iowa City Area Transit Study.
1. Objective: Since the study included all three-area fixed route transit systems, support implementation of the study’s
recommendations (study summary found in Attachment 4):
• Increasing frequency on core routes
• Simplifying routes
• Addressing on-time performance problems
• Provide more direct service to popular destinations.
Goal: Provide more transportation related training and education programs.
1. Objective: Continue to provide education materials and ride training programs through the Mobility Coordinator.
2. Objective: Continue to promote trip-maker programs throughout the urbanized area, including Google Transit and
the Transit App and ensure seamless use between transit agencies.
Goal: Provide support for regional transit options.
1. Objective: Support efforts to continue the 380 Express Bus service after the completion of the I-80/I-380 interchange
project is completed.
2. Objective: Support efforts to establish light rail service between Iowa City and North Liberty.
3. Objective: Support efforts to establish Amtrak service between Iowa City and Chicago.
5310 Funds
• Coralville Transit and Iowa City Transit will continue to use Section 5310 Special Needs funding for their paratransit
service contract with Johnson County SEATS. In FY2020, Iowa City Transit received $112,448 and Coralville Transit
received $31,780. These funding levels increased dramatically in FY2021 due to increase in 5310 funds through the
Iowa Department of Transportation. The FY2021 funding for Iowa City Transit increased to $233,124 and $63,889 for
Coralville Transit. It is anticipated that 5310 funding will return to FY2020 funding levels in the future.
• CAMBUS will continue to program their Section 5310 Special Needs funds toward bus replacement in their Bionic Bus
fleet and operating. Cambus received $158,760 in FY2020 with an increase to $315,941 in FY2021 due to the addition
of funds from the Iowa Department of Transportation. Funding levels are anticipated to go back to FY2020 levels. Since
Cambus does not contract for paratransit service they will continue to use the funding for bus replacement in their
Bionic Bus fleet and for the operation of the program.
Goal: Continue to provide ADA transportation options during fixed route service hours.
1. Objective: Continue to utilize 5310 funds in the funding of the ADA paratransit service contract with Johnson County
SEATS for Iowa City Transit and Coralville Transit and the Bionic Bus program with the University of Iowa.
Below is a summary of efforts undertaken by the MPO to gather public input on the Plan as well as the feedback received.
The MPO solicited for input through a variety of mediums including an online survey, virtual public meetings, an online inter-
active map, presentations, social media, press releases, and the MPO’s website.
Outreach
Survey
In February 2021, the MPO released a survey to gather feedback on the general transportation network and to help shape
the vision of the Plan and prioritize transportation funding for the greater community. While the survey was not statistically
significant, it provides significant information regarding the way people travel throughout the Metro area.
Virtual Public Meetings
The MPO hosted a series of virtual public meetings between 2021-2022.
April 1, 2021
Brief introduction to the Plan, including planned infrastructure projects, and transportation priorities.
May 19, 2021
Bike and pedestrian projects planned for the future and how they contribute to the transportation network.
Successes and challenges for pedestrians and bicyclists.
June 30, 2021
Brief overview of Passenger Transportation, Freight Transportation, and Aviation.
Challenges and potential opportunities for the future of passenger transportation.
April 7, 2022
General overview of the draft Plan, areas of particular interest, and COVID-19 related information.
April 12, 2022
General overview of the draft Plan, areas of particular interest, and COVID-19 related information.
Online Interactive Map
Anyone who lived, worked, attended school, or did business in Johnson County was invited to view and share their input on
capital transportation infrastructure projects (road, bridge, bike, and pedestrian) proposed for 2022-2050 as part of the Long
Range Transportation Plan. These projects are those for which communities anticipate the use of federal funds.
In addition to the online interactive map, MPO staff created a 1-minute video on how to navigate the online map to make it
more accessible to the public.
Presentations
In June 2021, MPO staff offered to provide a presentation to any committees or commissions in the urbanized area
seeking more information about the Long Range Transportation Plan revision process, or more detail about what the plan
encompasses. Over the course of two years, staff presented pertinent information, related to the Long Range Transporta-
tion Plan, to the Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee, the Transportation Technical Committee, and the Urbanized Area
Policy Board.
Social Media
MPO staff used the official MPO Instagram and Facebook account as supplemental tools to notify interested parties of the
long range planning process.
Press Releases / Website
Four outlets were used to notify residents of all public comment periods, the survey, public meetings, etc.
1. Press-releases were sent to subscribers of the MPOJC e-news list.
2. The planning process and draft chapters were posted on the MPOJC Website.
3. Notices of public input opportunities were delivered to MPOJC public input organizations.
4. Notices of public input opportunities were posted on Instagram and Facebook.
* Public comment collected during development of the Future Forward 2050 plan was also considered.
Presentation and Comment
MPOJC initiated a formal public comment period lasting 30 days prior to the adoption of the Long Range Transportation
Plan.
Future Forward Long Range Transportation Plan
Connecting Communities 2050
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) is a transportation planning organization representing
Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, University Heights, Johnson County, and the University of Iowa. The purpose of
MPOJC is to ensure that scarce federal transportation spending occurs through a comprehensive, cooperative, and con-
tinuing process that benefits our entire metro area.
MPOJC is revising its Long-Range Transportation Plan–a requirement for securing state and federal funding for transporta-
tion projects. The Future Forward 2050: Connecting Communities Plan will help guide metropolitan area decision-making
regarding transportation improvements and investments extending 25 years into the future. This plan considers all modes
of transportation—automobile, freight, transit, pedestrian, and bicycle—and makes specific recommendations for transpor-
tation projects and funding sources.
Please help us by answering these survey questions—it takes 5 minutes or less. Your feedback will help to shape the vision
of the Plan and prioritize transportation funding for the greater community.
Demographic Questions
1. Where do you live?
Iowa City
Coralville
North Liberty
Tiffin
University Heights
Elsewhere in Johnson County
Other
2. Where do you work or go to school?
Iowa City
Coralville
North Liberty
Tiffin
University Heights
Elsewhere in Johnson County
Other
3. What is your gross annual household income?
24,999 or less
25,000 to 49,999
50,000 to 74,999
75,000 to 99,999
100,000 to 149,999
150,000 or more
4. What is your age?
Under 18 years
18-25 years
26-44 years
45-64 years
65 years and older
5. How many vehicles does your household have?
0
1
2
3
More than 3
6. Is there anyone in your household over the age of 18 who is unable to drive due to a disability or legal restric-
tion?
Yes
No
7. Do you have school-age children living in your household?
Yes
No
8. How do the children in your household typically get to school (before the COVID-19 Pandemic)?
Private Vehicle
Carpool
School Bus
City Bus
Walk
Bike
Taxi/Uber
Other (i.e. scooter or skateboard)
Transportation choices and needs prior to the COVID0-19 Pandemic
When answering these questions, please recall your behaviors/needs prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
9. What mode of travel did you use for reach of the following activities?
Choices: Private Vehicle Carpool/Vanpool Transit (bus) Walk Bus Taxi/Uber Other (i.e. scooter or skateboard)
Commuting to Work/ School
Running Errands
Recreation
10. What factors influenced your choice of transportation for commuting to work/ school? (Please rank the factors in order of impor-
tance with 1 being the most important.)
Travel Time/ Distance
Convenience
Safety
Cost
11. Based on your personal experiences, how would you rate the following aspects of the transportation network in
the greater Metro area?
Chioces: Poor Fair Good Very Good Unsure
Speed Limit Compliance
Condition of roadways
Traffic safety
On-street bicycle facilities
Pedestrian Safety
Sidewalk connectivity
Sidewalk conditions
Off-street trails
Traffic signal operations
Traffic delay/ congestion
Transit service
12. Based on your personal experiences, how would you rate the overall transportation network in the greater Metro
area?
Poor
Fair
Good
Very Good
Uncertain/ Unfamiliar
13. How often did you use area trails and/or wide sidewalks during warm weather months (May-October)?
Multiple times a week
Once or twice a week
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
When answering these questions, please refer to your behaviors/ needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic (since March
2020).
14. As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, are you using area trails and wide sidewalks:
More
Less
About the same
15. What do you use the trails and wide sidewalks for?
Commuting to work or school
Running errands
Recreation or fitness
Other
16. Have you sought out new routes or trails for any of these activities?
Yes
No
17. Please indicate any hard surface trails that you have used since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic:
North Ridge Trail (Coralville)
Iowa River Corridor Trail (Coralville / Iowa City / Johnson County)
Clear Creek Trail (Coralville / Tiffin)
Muddy Creek Trail (Coralville)
North Dubuque Street Trail (Iowa City / North Liberty)
Waterworks Park Trail (Iowa City)
City Park Trails (Iowa City)
Court Hill Trail (Iowa City)
Windsor Ridge Trails (Iowa City)
Sycamore Greenway Trail (Iowa City)
Terry Trueblood Trail (Iowa City)
Willow Creek Trail (Iowa City)
North Liberty Trail (North Liberty)
Hoover Nature Trail (Johnson County)
Other (please specify)
18. Any comments or thoughts you’d like us to share with the metro communities about your trail usage during the
COVID-19 pandemic?
Approved 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan Scoring Criteria
MPOJC Policy Board Approved November 18, 2020
1: Economic Opportunity – Supports metro area growth, innovation, job creation, and productivity
A. Project improves/provides direct access to planned growth area, existing jobs, or retail +5
B. Project involves more than one MPO jurisdiction +1 each (Points Possible: 7)
Total Points Possible: 12 (13%)
2: Environment1 – Preserves and protects our natural resources, including land, water and air quality
A. Project promotes air quality improvements via congestion reduction through one or more of the following: Geomet-
ric improvements (physical improvements that improve motorist operations), ITS/signalization improvements, Reduc-
tion of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), Improvement to turning movements +1 each (Points Possible: 4)
B. Project preserves the natural environment through Stormwater Management practices such as: Incorporating perme-
able pavements, bioretention, soil restoration, etc. +1 each (Points Possible: 3)
Total Points Possible: 7 (8%)
3: Quality of Life – Enhances livability and creates vibrant and appealing places that serve residents throughout
their lives
A. Project directly enhances safe route(s) to school, or improves transportation choices for locations specifically serving
multi-family developments or elderly populations +5
Total Points Possible: 5 (5%)
4: System Preservation – Maintained in good and reliable condition
A. Maintenance or improvement to existing facility/infrastructure +5
Total Points Possible: 5 (5%)
5: Efficiency – Builds a well-connected transportation network and coordinating land use patterns to reduce
travel demand, miles travelled, and fossil fuel consumption
A. Project in a corridor with existing congestion (defined as having LOS E or F during peak hours according to the adopt-
ed MPO Travel Demand Model) +7
B. Project in a corridor with forecasted future congestion (defined as having LOS E or F during peak hours according to
adopted MPO Travel Demand Model, LOS map is attached) +7
Total Points Possible: 14 (15%)
6: Choice – Offers multi-modal transportation options that are affordable and accessible
A. Project is on existing bus route (bus route map is attached) +3
B. Separated trail or wide sidewalk (8’ or wider) +3
C. Project reduces modal conflict (pedestrian hybrid beacons, grade separation, dedicated bicycle lanes or sharrows, bus
pull-off, etc.) +3
Total Points Possible: 9 (10%)
7: Safety – Designed and maintained to enhance the safety and security of all users
A. A. History involving two or more documented bicycle or pedestrian collisions in the last five years (collision maps are
attached) +7
B. B. Top 25 highest MPO accident locations or top 10 highest accident mid-blocks in last three years (accident tables are
attached) +7 OR
C. Sight distance or related safety issue documented by an expert (planner/engineer) +7
Total Points Possible for A&B: 14 (15%)
OR
Total Points Possible for C: 7
8: Health – Invites and enhances healthy and active lifestyles
A. Project extends regional trail network (map is attached) +3
B. Project addresses critical gap in the regional trail network +5
Total Points Possible: 8 (9%)
9: Equity2 – Provides access and opportunity for all people and neighborhoods
A. Project improves transportation network in lower-income neighborhoods +5
B. Focus of the project is to correct ADA non-compliance +3
Total Points Possible: 8 (9%)
10: Local Commitment – Gauges local commitment to the project including local and/or state funds pledged
A. Local match 20.1% - 30% +1
B. Local match 30.1% - 40% +3
C. Local match 40.1% - 50% +5
D. Local match 50.1% - 60% +7
E. Local match 60.1% - or more
Total Points Possible: 9 (10%)
1Not used to score Transportation Alternatives Program projects
2Lower-income neighborhoods are defined as being at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) by block group.
Source: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2012-2016)
The Vision
The MPOJC Policy Board expects to realize long-term cost savings in improved public health, reduced fuel consumption, better environmental stewardship, and
reduced demand for motor vehicle infrastructure through the implementation of this Complete Streets policy, which applies only to projects that utilize federal
Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds. The vision of this Complete Streets Policy includes achieving the
following goals when utilizing STP and TAP funds:
1. To create a comprehensive, integrated, and connected transportation network that supports compact, sustainable development and creates livable
communities.
2. To provide a connected network of facilities accommodating all modes of travel.
3. To look for opportunities to repurpose rights-of-way to enhance connectivity for all modes to commercial, recreation, education, public services, and
residential destinations.
Users and Modes
This policy defines Complete Streets by this outcome: all current and projected users of the public right-of-way are intended to conveniently and safely reach
their destinations via public rights-of-way, regardless of their chosen mode of transportation for that project to be considered “complete.” The design of the
urbanized area street network will create a connected grid of streets, sidewalks, and trails accommodating a safe, easily accessible, convenient, comfortable, and
visually appealing manner for all users of all ages and abilities, including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, children, senior citizens, persons with
disabilities, freight carriers, emergency responders, and adjacent land users.
Connectivity and All Agencies
Project sponsors will design, operate, and maintain a transportation network that provides a connected network of facilities accommodating all modes of travel.
To achieve this goal project sponsors will foster partnerships with the State of Iowa, The University of Iowa, Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson Coun-
ty, school districts, Johnson County, neighboring cities, citizens, businesses, interest groups, and neighborhoods to implement Complete Streets.
Design Criteria and Context Sensitive Design
Each street and right-of-way design should be practically undertaken to complement the neighborhood in which it exists, while complying with accepted or
adopted design standards and other guidelines based upon resources identifying best practices in urban design and street design, construction, operations and
maintenance when implementing improvements intended to fulfill this Complete Streets Policy. Project sponsors will consider all available design options that
comply with state and federal requirements in the following manuals, as well as others when feasible, to ensure access for all modes:
• AASHTO Green Book: A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Urban Street Design Guide, by the National Association of City Transportation Officials
• Urban Bikeway Design Guide, by the National Association of City Transportation Officials
• Iowa Statewide Urban Design Standards, by the Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University
Implementation
The MPOJC Complete Streets Policy applies only to projects that utilize MPOJC-controlled federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) or Transportation Alter-
natives Program (TAP) funds.
Complete Streets projects are generally accomplished through adding the following to the public right-of-way: sidewalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, bicycle facil-
ities (e.g. bike lanes, shared lane arrows, way-finding signs), ADA-compliant bus stops, trails, and any other reasonably applicable facilities. In particular, projects
will incorporate complete street facilities found in MPOJC-adopted plans, including (but not limited to) the Long Range Transportation Plan, bicycle and pedestri-
an plans, and local ADA accessibility transition plans.
This Complete Streets Policy and associated project documentation applies to any NEW STREET, RECONSTRUCTED STREET, or STREET MAINTENANCE within the
public right-of-way (see Definitions section for CAPITALIZED items) with the following clarifications:
A. NEW STREETS and RECONSTRUCTED STREETS either built by the project sponsor or by a developer for project sponsor ownership will implement complete
streets – applies in all zoning designations and land uses.
B. STREET MAINTENANCE projects – whereas all NEW STREET and RECONSTRUCTED STREETS will implement multi-modal transportation elements, it is not
expected for maintenance and rehabilitation projects to change geometric features and functional elements to upgrade to multi-modal transportation
elements, although items that fit within the existing geometrics (e.g. re-striping, signage upgrades, sidewalks, etc.) should be implemented.
C. Sidewalks and curb ramps within a project corridor will be ADA-compliant.
D. Existing and new bus stops within a project corridor will be ADA-compliant.
The approved STP and TAP Project Scoring Criteria reflect this policy. In order to not penalize projects which have been granted exceptions, the same number
of points will be awarded to those projects if the exception is granted. Note: As part of the initial review of project applications, MPOJC staff will evaluate whether
appropriate complete streets elements are included, or whether an exception is met. MPOJC staff will provide guidance on this policy during the funding applica-
tion process.
This policy will be periodically reviewed and revised in parallel with the MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan update process.
Exceptions to this Policy for STP and TAP funded projects
All MPOJC-funded STP and TAP projects will consider complete streets principles and possible treatments at the time of the initial application for funding. Project
sponsors may request an exception for one or more of the following:
• Where there are relatively high safety risks. There are times bicycle and pedestrian facility standards cannot be met due to roadway topographic constraints
or it is impractical to make the street safe for shared use. Roads with a combination of traffic volumes exceeding 18,000 vehicles per day, constrained and
fixed rights-of-way, or posted speeds of 45+ mph may need special consideration. This type of exception is highly problematic because high traffic volume
is often an indication that a road is the most direct connection between multiple origins and destinations, and pedestrians, cyclists and transit users should
not be denied access to those destinations. For this exception to be granted, the Project Sponsor will enhance alternate routes (e.g. signage, bike boulevard
treatments, shared-use trail spurs, bike lanes, shared-lane markings, etc.), unless available alternate routes also meet an exception(s) to this policy.
• Where bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited by law from using the roadway.
• Where a main road has multi-modal facilities for all users of the right-of-way, the PUBLIC FRONTAGE ROAD may be exempt from this policy.
• Where the project consists primarily of the installation of traffic control, including pre-timed traffic signals, or safety devices and little or no additional right-
of-way is to be acquired. However whenever new traffic control detection devices are installed, they must be capable of detecting bicycles. All new pedestri-
an crossing devices must also meet the most current accessibility standards for controls, signals, and placement.
• Where a project involves emergency maintenance activities designed to keep assets in serviceable condition or when interim measures are implemented on
temporary detour routes.
• Where the Project Sponsor Engineer and MPOJC staff jointly determine the construction is not practically feasible due to significant or adverse environmen-
tal impacts to waterways, floodplains, significant street trees, remnants of native vegetation, wetlands, or other critical areas.
• Where the cost of establishing bikeways or walkways would be excessively disproportionate to the cost of project. In accordance with federal
guidelines, excessively disproportionate is defined as exceeding twenty percent of the cost of the total transportation project (including right of way
acquisition costs). This exception must consider probable use through the life of the project, a minimum of 20 years.
• Where scarcity of population or other factors indicate an absence of need for current and future conditions. This exception must take the long
view and consider probable use through the life of the project, a minimum of 20 years.
• Where the Average Daily Traffic count (ADT) is projected to be less than 1,000 vehicles per day over the life of the project.
All requests for exceptions to complete streets treatments shall be documented with supporting data which indicates the basis for the request. Excep-
tions must be requested in writing and will be granted after review by MPOJC staff, or, if not granted, the reason for not granting will be explained in
writing by MPOJC staff. Staff will work with sponsors to identify a mutually acceptable alternative.
Performance Measures
The MPO will measure the success of Complete Streets policy by using the following measures:
• Miles of bike lanes, trails, shared lane arrows striped or built
• Linear feet of pedestrian accommodations built
• Number of ADA accessibility accommodations built
• Number of exemptions from this policy approved
• Annual ridership for Iowa City Transit, Cambus, and Coralville Transit
Definitions
A. COMPLETE STREET: a street that accommodates convenient and safe use by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or mode of travel.
B. CONTEXT SENSITIVE DESIGN SOLUTION: a design which balances safety, mobility and transportation needs, while preserving scenic, aesthetic,
historical, environmental, neighborhood and community values and characteristics.
C. STREET: The STREET is considered to be the subgrade, base, pavement, grading, storm sewer, and sub-drains. (i.e., all of the elements required to
build, operate, and maintain the street.)
D. NEW STREET: a street constructed where one has not previously existed.
E. RECONSTRUCTED STREET: an existing street that has rehabilitation done to it, which is estimated at 50% or higher of the cost of NEW STREET (ex-
cluding utilities except storm sewer or sub-drains), will also be considered a RECONSTRUCTED STREET for the purposes of this policy.
F. PUBLIC FRONTAGE ROAD: a roadway located with portions of PUBLIC STREET right-of-way, frontage road reservation easement or adjoining other
streets, which have access control.
G. STREET MAINTENANCE: rehabilitation of a street, which generally restores the functionality of the existing street components (either primarily as
a street project or in conjunction with underground public utility construction), without significantly altering or adding to those components, and
which is estimated at less than 50% of the cost of a NEW STREET with those same components. Utility construction (except storm sewer or sub-
drains) is excluded from this cost calculation.
Organizations
American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing
highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation
modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance
of an integrated national transportation system.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG): An intergovernmental council which promotes regional cooperation and provides
professional planning services to local governments in east central Iowa.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): An agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supports State and local govern-
ments in design, construction, and maintenance of the Nation’s highway system (Federal Aid Highway Program) and various federally
and tribal owned lands. Through financial and technical assistance to State and local governments, the Federal Highway Administration
is responsible for ensuring that American’s roads and highways continue to be among the safest and most technologically sound in the
world.
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA): An agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is responsible for creating and
enforcing rail safety regulations, oversees rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies and technologies.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA): An agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical
assistance to local public transit systems, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys, and ferries.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): An executive department of the federal government which administers federal
housing and urban development laws, headed by the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB): A subdivision of the Iowa Department of Public Safety that administers the State of Iowa’s
allocation of federal highway safety funds.
Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT): The government organization, in Iowa, responsible for the organization, construction
and maintenance of the primary highway system.
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO): An organization made up of local elected and appointed officials responsible for the de-
velopment and coordination of transportation plans and programs, in cooperation with the state, for metropolitan areas containing
50,000 or more residents.
National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO): NACTO is a non-profit association. NACTO’s mission is to build cities as
places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant
quality of life.
Regional Trails and Bicycle Committee (RTBC): The RTBC discusses and coordinates matters pertaining to pedestrian and bicycle activ-
ity. This committee includes staff who oversee trail development and maintenance from MPOJC member agencies, but also includes
representatives of bicycle advocacy groups.
Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC): The TTAC advises the Urbanized Area Policy Board on policy matters. This com-
mittee is composed of transportation planning, transit, and engineering staff members from MPOJC member agencies.
Urbanized Area Policy Board (UAPB): The board is organized to conform to the federal requirements of the MPO. The board is made
up of elected officials from each the member entities plus one representative appointed by the president of the University of Iowa.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The EPA, established in 1970, is an agency of the United States federal government whose
mission is to protect human and environmental health.
Strava: A social network for athletes (website and mobile app based).
Terms
Accessible Pedestrian Signal APS: Accessible pedestrian signals are devices that communicate information about the WALK and DON’T
WALK intervals at signalized intersections in non-visual formats to pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision.
ADA: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against
individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are
open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities
as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis
of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommoda-
tions, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.
American Community Survey (ACS): A demographics survey conducted by the American Census Bureau which regularly gathers informa-
tion to assist local officials, community leaders and businesses in understanding the changes taking place in their own communities.
Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS): Devices which communicate information about the “WALK” and “DON’T WALK” intervals at signalized
intersections in a non-visual format.
Average Daily Traffic (ADT): The total traffic volume during a given time.
Complete Streets Policy: Rights of way designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motor-
ists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities.
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA): An act which provided a $2.3 trillion stimulus in response
to the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States. The Act authorized $14 billion to be allocated towards the support of the transit
industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP): A plan which is designed by local governments for the aim of increasing zero-emission vehicles as
one of the available solutions leading to lower transportation emissions.
FAST Act: Signed into law on December 4, 2015, the FAST Act is the first federal law to provide long-term funding certainty for surface
transportation infrastructure planning and investment. The Act authorizes $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for highway,
highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail and research.
Federal Functional Classification (FFC): A tool used to define the role of roadways within the larger transportation network. Each classifi-
cation fits within a hierarchy based on the level of mobility and access that the particular roadway is intended to provide.
Fiscal Constraint: A required component of long-range planning. Transportation expenditures included in this plan should not exceed
revenue estimates during the life of the plan.
Fair Market Rent (FMR): The fair value that a property possesses while renting the house or property on a lease.
Functionally obsolete bridge: The geometric design of a bridge does not meet the current design standards.
Global Positioning System (GPS): A satellite-based radionavigation system which broadcasts signals to users on or near earth from an
array of orbiting satellites.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG): A gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the earth’s atmosphere, trapping heat and causing the
greenhouse effect.
Housing Density: A measure of the number of housing units per a given area.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): An act which provided a $715 billion infrastructure package related to federal-aid highway,
transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials and rail programs of the Department of Transportation.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): A combination of leading-edge information and communication technologies used in transpor-
tation traffic management systems to improve the safety. Efficiency and sustainability of transportation networks.
Level of Service (LOS): A qualitative assessment of a road’s operating conditions. For local government comprehensive planning purpos-
es, level of service means an indicator of the extent or degree of service provided by, or proposed to be provided by, a facility based on
and related to the operational characteristics of the facility. Level of Service indicates the capacity per unit of demand for each public
facility.
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR): A detection system which determines the range of an object by emitting a laser light pulse and
measuring the amount of time for the light to be reflected back.
Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP): A 20-year planning horizon document which reflects the application vision of transportation by
local leaders and aims for project prioritization.
Metropolitan Area Planning Boundary: The area in which the metropolitan transportation planning process is carried out.
Millennials: The demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when this cohort starts or ends but the
early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years.
Mode Split: The percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or number of trips using said type.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): Standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under authority of
the Clean Air Act that apply for outdoor air throughout the country.
National Bridge Inventory (NBI): A data collection-information system describing the more than 600,000 of the Nation’s bridges located
on public roads.
National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA): Signed into law on January 1, 1970, NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the envi-
ronmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions.
Pavement Condition Index (PCI): A numerical index between 0 and 100 which is used to indicate the general condition of pavement.
Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF): A funding source in the state of Iowa which provides approximately $700 million for the primary purpose of
construction and maintenance of Iowa highways.
Statewide Urban Design And Specifications (SUDAS): The Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University maintains Iowa’s SUDAS
manuals for public improvements. Developing and maintaining Iowa’s unique SUDAS manuals is the result of a lengthy and painstaking
effort by more than 300 stakeholders across the state.
Structurally deficient bridge: A bridge having deterioration to one or more major components, but the bridge is not unsafe.
Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program: The FAST Act converts the long-standing Surface Transportation Program into the
Surface Transportation Block Grant Program acknowledging that this program has the most flexible eligibilities among all Federal-aid
highway programs and aligning the program’s name with how FHWA has historically administered it. [FAST Act § 1109(a)]. STBG pro-
vides flexible funding that may be used by States and localities for projects to preserve and improve the conditions and performance
on any Federal-aid highway, bridge and tunnel projects on any public road, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and transit capital
projects, including intercity bus terminals
Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program Set-Aside: The FAST Act eliminates the MAP-21 Transportation Alternatives Program
(TAP) and replaces it with a set-aside of Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program funding for transportation alternatives (TA).
These set-aside funds include all projects and activities that were previously eligible under TAP, encompassing a variety of smaller-scale
transportation projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements
such as historic preservation and vegetation management, and environmental mitigation related to stormwater and habitat connectivity.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts: TIF is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other
community-improvement projects. A TIF District reallocates funds from property taxes to encourage investment within the district.
Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ): An area delineated by state and/or local transportation officials for calculating traffic-related data used in conven-
tional transportation planning models.
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP): The programming document for federally funded surface transportation improvements. The
document includes transportation projects for all modes of surface transportation, including street and highway, transit, bicycle, and pedes-
trian projects.
Transportation Performance Management (TPM): A strategic approach that uses system information to make investment and policy deci-
sions to achieve national performance goals.
Travel Demand Model (TDM): Includes elements such as roadway and transit networks, and population and employment data to calculate
the expected demand for transportation facilities.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT): An estimate of the miles traveled by all vehicles within a specific region each year.