Grassley Op-Ed: Dubuque Infrastructure Upgrades Ensure Region Stays Competitive

Grassley Op-Ed: Dubuque infrastructure upgrades ensure region stays competitive

 

Iowans depend on reliable infrastructure each day to move goods, conduct business and simply get from point A to point B. That’s why last fall, I supported once-in-a-generation bipartisan infrastructure legislation to ensure more of your tax dollars come back to Iowa to boost much-needed infrastructure improvement projects — projects that will help ensure Iowa towns and cities remain competitive in our global economy.

 

As the federal government begins deciding how to allocate these funds, I’m working to keep Iowa front and center. I am pleased that we’ve already had considerable success, including for a major locks and dams modernization project and in advocating for much-needed airport improvements.

 

While roads and bridges often come to mind when considering what constitutes “infrastructure,” other physical infrastructure assets are just as important in supporting our communities and our economy. For example, water transportation infrastructure along the second-longest river in North America — the Mississippi River — supports nearly 175 million tons of freight every year. According to a Reuters report, more than 60% of corn and soybeans exported from the United States is shipped along the Mississippi. Iowa farmers — who rank first in the country in corn production and second in soybean production — depend on the Mississippi River to export their products and feed the world.

 

However, some lock and dam systems along this critical waterway are nearly a century old, which is why lock and dam modernization is one of Iowa’s top five infrastructure improvement priorities. This issue frequently comes up during my 99 county meetings: Iowans push for infrastructure improvements to boost shipping efficiency along the Mississippi River.

 

One major pinch point is Lock & Dam 25, which was first constructed in the 1930s. Barges traveling along the Mississippi, carrying valuable goods to market, often get delayed here by the current century-old lock chamber. Newer, more modern barges are too large to pass through, requiring a cumbersome disassembling process that can take hours.

 

The Army Corps of Engineers has discussed updating and expanding the lock for decades, and I’ve been working with them to make it happen every step of the way. Over the years, I’ve joined other leaders in the area — including Senator Durbin of Illinois — to build an effective coalition of consensus and support among the folks impacted most. We worked with agriculture, labor and waterway groups to get this project authorized in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act.

Although we were successful in securing funding for pre-engineering and design of this project, a lack of construction funding has prevented progress — until now. Last month, I led a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers in urging the Army Corps of Engineers to utilize funding from the infrastructure bill to modernize locks and dams along the upper Mississippi River. And just last week, I was pleased that the Army Corps announced an $829 million investment in locks and dams, including for the construction of a new 1,200 foot lock at Lock & Dam 25. Modernizing this system by adding a new, much larger chamber will cut down pass-through time to just 30 minutes.

 

Simply put, this overdue project will make it more efficient for manufactured goods and agricultural commodities produced in Iowa — namely corn and soybeans — to be transported to market, keeping shipping costs low and in turn lowering costs for producers and consumers alike.

 

In addition to securing funding to improve shipping efficiency along the Mississippi, I’ve pressed the Biden administration to invest valuable infrastructure dollars into modernizing the Dubuque airport. Iowa’s regional airports support all kinds of economic activity, from transporting mail, products and other goods, to providing Iowans with convenient connections to destinations across the country.

 

In fact, the Dubuque Regional Airport was the busiest Federal Aviation Administration air traffic tower in Iowa in 2020, but the equipment in the tower is woefully outdated and in need of replacement. In an effort to revitalize commercial and general aviation airports, I supported the recently passed infrastructure legislation to fund these much-needed improvement projects. Earlier this month, I joined my Iowa colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the construction of a new contract air traffic control tower in Dubuque using the newly passed infrastructure bill. Doing so will help maintain a resilient supply chain and a safe, reliable airport for traveling Iowans.

I often say that Washington is an island surrounded by reality, and right now the reality is that Iowa needs infrastructure improvements. Whether it’s waterways and airports or roads, bridges and rural broadband, infrastructure investment is essential to ensuring Iowans and Iowa’s robust economy continue to thrive for generations to come. I’ll keep working to bring more of your hard-earned tax dollars back to our great state so that our infrastructure can continue to support our people and businesses well into the future.