MADISON, Wis. — A state commission on Dec. 8 approved roughly $174 million in updates to an 18-mile stretch of highway near Madison.

After a Dec. 31 report by the Iowa Department of Transportation that shows a $317,000 reduction in the Road Use Tax Fund in 2018, state officials have made recommendations to the Iowa Legislature such as increasing fees or charging taxes to electric vehicle owners.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Alliant Energy’s transportation subsidiary has announced plans to buy Cedar Rapids-based Hybrid Transit Systems. The acquisition will add a layer of freight transport to Alliant Energy Transportation.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Eastern Iowa Airport has been awarded nearly $9 million in federal funds, which officials say will be used to relocate and expand the airport’s rapidly growing cargo operations.

Iowa’s transportation commission has approved a $3.4 billion Transportation Improvement Program for fiscal years 2019-2023.

BRANDON, Iowa — Officer Chris Wicklund with the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Agency peered into the red Kenworth’s engine, slid under the semitrailer on a mechanic’s creeper and checked the driver’s log book.

In need of potential drivers, employers such as CRST International and Don Hummer Trucking supply Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with equipment and often send recruiters to the course’s later sessions in search of prospective employees.

The stretch of Interstate 380 between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids is poised to be the very first in the state to be fully mapped out for eventual autonomous vehicle traffic.

State transportation officials hope Iowa’s first freight plan will provide the guidelines necessary to manage a growing industry of airplanes, trains and semi-trailers.