Biden Administration Gives Cedar Falls Street Project $10M Boost

Cedar Falls City Administrator Ron Gaines celebrated the news that his community will receive $10 million in federal funding to help with a complete overhaul of its Main Street.

“This grant is a tremendous achievement for Cedar Falls and we are extremely excited,” said Gaines, who was hired to run the northeast Iowa city’s day-to-day operations in 2016.

Cedar Falls was one of three Iowa recipients of a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant when the awards were announced Wednesday by the US Department of Transportation. 

Collectively, Iowa received a little more than $35 million, and $2.2 billion was dispersed nationally.

RAISE grants are funded by President Joe Biden’s 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Former Rep. Cindy Axne (D), and US Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) voted for it, while US Sen. Joni Ernst, and Reps. Randy Feenstra, Ashley Hinson, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, all Republicans, voted against it.

The Cedar Falls Mains Street Revitalization project is estimated to cost $31 million and involves a complete reconstruction of Main Street between University Avenue and Sixth Street to include complete streets enhancements, dedicated on-street bike lanes, accessible sidewalks and trails for people with disabilities, mid-block crossings, transit stops, and lighting and underground utility improvements.

The largest allotment of RAISE funds, about $24.7 million, will go to replace bridges in poor condition in Clay, Crawford, Henry, Lee, Lucas, Mitchell, Page, Pottawattamie, and Wright counties.

Nine bridges in poor condition that will be replaced.

Iowa regularly ranks in the top five for most structurally deficient bridges in the country.

Clear Lake is the final recipient and it will receive $300,000 for a planning project to modernize the infrastructure that connects the north Iowa community’s downtown to Interstate 35. This includes the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and further development of a regional trail network.

Overview of planned Clear Lake road project.

“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

“This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain, and more,” he continued.

by Ty Rushing
06/28/23

If you enjoy stories like these, make sure to sign up for Iowa Starting Line’s main newsletter.

To contact Senior Editor Ty Rushing for tips or story ideas, email him at [email protected] or find him on social media @Rushthewriter.

​​Iowa Starting Line is part of an independent news network and focuses on how state and national decisions impact Iowans’ daily lives. We rely on your financial support to keep our stories free for all to read. You can contribute to us here. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.