In order to conserve money and find funds to finance other much- needed transportation projects, the DOT is considering alternatives to bypasses. As the state's highway system is expanded, DOT planners and engineers will hone in on traffic, travel time, accident and other patterns to determine the appropriate road design on a case-by-case basis. "Every project is unique," says Mark Wandro, director of the Iowa DOT. "We try to strike a balance between all the competing interests--the preservation of historic structures, the needs of the community--rather than just the needs of the motorists."
During the 1950s, Wandro points out, there was a mindset that pushed people to "design the perfect expressway." What's changed today--and will now drive decisions--is a sense that there is no definition of perfect that's acceptable to everyone. Some aspect of the road, whether lane width, type of drainage system or even its most basic design of bypass versus non-bypass may have to be compromised for the greater good of a community--and the state's pocketbook.
