Iowa DOT Head Predicts Contraction for State's Highway System

Charles Marohn provides a dispatch from a recent Urban Land Institute event in Iowa, where he saw Paul Trombino, the director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, say something remarkable for a person in his position. "And so the reality is, the system is going to shrink," said Trombino.

Marohn's take on that sentence: "While I've had a couple say this in private, talk of contraction is not something I've heard any other DOT director say in public. This is a big deal." 

Marohn provides the context provided by more of Trombino's statements and extends the challenge inherent in Trombino's acknowledgement, writing: "Most DOT directors understand that we've overbuilt, that there will never be the money to maintain everything they are asked to maintain. (I would question the ones who don't, their adherence to dogmatic politics or their competence.) I've not heard another DOT chief admit this problem publicly. They need to."