MPO funding announced for projects advancing regional goals

The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has awarded more than $13 million to 16 transportation projects that improve Greater Des Moines.

The projects receiving funding range from trails, streetscapes and transit buses, to the reconstruction of existing roads and bridges, as well as the construction of new roads. The grants are available through the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and administered by the MPO. A complete listing of funded projects is included below.

“With these funding awards, the MPO is helping advance the region’s goals for the transportation system,” Grimes Mayor and MPO Chair Tom Armstrong said, referring to the region’s long-term transportation plan, Mobilizing Tomorrow. Those goals are to enhance multimodal transportation options, optimize existing transportation infrastructure, improve the region’s environmental health, and further the health, safety and well-being of all residents.

The application process was competitive, with applications for 18 projects totaling more than $33.5 million in requests. MPO staff scored the projects on how well they help meet the regional performance measures established in Mobilizing Tomorrow. Additionally, the public provided comments and feedbacks on the proposed projects. The STP Funding Subcommittee reviewed applications, scoring and public comment and made a recommendation to the MPO Policy Committee, which approved the funding for the recommended projects on May 25.

Mobilizing Tomorrow is the long-range transportation plan for the year 2050 adopted by the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in November 2014. The plan outlines how the MPO’s member governments throughout the Greater Des Moines region will invest approximately $600 million in transportation funding over the next 35 years.