The Iowa Transportation Commission, Tuesday, approved more than $1.5-million in funding for Safe Routes to School Program projects, nearly $5.3-million for 11 statewide Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) projects, and more than $1.2-million for six Recreational Trail Program projects. The appropriations were approved during the Commission’s meeting in Ames, Tuesday. In our area, the I-DOT Commission approved $236,000 for the Shenandoah Safe Routes to School Program. The program was created in Iowa in 2005, using federal transportation funds. Its purpose is to increase the number of children safely walking and bicycling to school.

The I-DOT Commission also approved a $530,000 award to the Iowa Department of Natural Resource and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, for the “Great River Road Scenic Byway” and “Loess Hills Byway” projects, and $554,000 to Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), for the “Interpreting Iowa’s Byways” project, which involves the development and implementation of an Interpretive Master plan. Funds for the projects come from the Statewide TEP.

And, the DOT Commission, Tuesday, approved a $300,000 Recreational Trails Program award to Coon Rapids and Creating Great Places, for the Herndon to Coon Rapids segment of the American Discovery Trail.