Iowa to receive $14.2 million in federal grants to improve roads

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KCRG) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced $800 million in grants to improve roads and address traffic fatalities across the country.

Eight of these grants will help communities in Iowa. Data shows traffic fatalities reached a 16-year-high in 2021 across the country.

A new study shows crashes in 2019 alone cost America $340 billion.

Iowa received one award to improve roads right away. Fayette County is getting $10.4 million to improve 50 miles of roadway.

They will put in rumble strips and widen shoulders on steep roads and those with deep ditches.

Seven other grants totaling nearly $4 million will help other Iowa communities build an action plan for road safety.

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