(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has unanimously approved a budget for the Iowa Department of Transportation that includes money for a new maintenance garage in eastern Iowa. Republican Senator Carrie Koelker, of Dyersville, says lawmakers are setting aside nearly 22 million dollars for the project.

“This is to demolish and build a new DOT facility in Davenport, a facility that’s not been upgraded in decades,” she says. A budget report prepared by the Legislative Services Agency indicated the current facility is deteriorating due to age and is too small to accommodate the size of snow plows and other D-O-T equipment.

The Iowa D-O-T has 109 maintenance garages. The one in Davenport is responsible for clearing snow and other maintenance on Interstate 80 and other highways in the Quad Cities area.