Sutliff Road Upgrade Fast-tracked

IOWA CITY — Johnson County’s secondary roads officials say the recent increase in Iowa’s road use tax has created a “happy problem” for rural road and bridge projects.Officials estimate the tax to generate between $833,000 and $1.2 million in additional annual funds. That additional revenue will increase the county’s road construction fund by about 12 percent.With that in mind, county officials are fast-tracking upgrades to the approximately 4.3 miles of Sutliff Road between 140th Street and the Johnson-Linn county line.Johnson County Assistant Engineer Ed Bartels said the project is temporary, but will greatly increase safety on the road.“This is a Band-Aid, but it’s a Band-Aid we hope will last 10 to 15 years,” he said Thursday at an informal meeting of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.