Gas tax hike will bring a total of $852,000 in new funds to Winneshiek County

The 10 cent a gallon increase in Iowa's gas tax goes into effect on Sunday.  The Iowa Department of Transportation has produced estimates on how the expected $215 million in additional state revenue will be distributed—and the figures are good news for Winneshiek County government.

Winneshiek County Engineer Lee Bjerke says the DOT estimates the gas tax will mean $645,000 in additional road funds controlled by the county.  Another $200,000 will be send to Winneshiek County, according to the DOT's estimate, in "Farm to Market" funds, which must be spent on certain types of roads.

Bjerke says when you add up all the different state funding sources, the DOT forecasts the higher gas tax will produce $852,000 for Winneshiek County government.

Winneshiek County's current road budget is around $7 million, so the gas tax will increase the county's ability to repair roads and bridges by 12 percent.  Bjerke says it costs around $400,000 to build a new simple culvert bridge and around $300,000 a mile to repave a road, so adding $852,000 to the county's road budget will allow it to tackle more projects that need to be done.