U.S. 30 Expressway at end on the east side of Tama. Chronicle / News-Herald file photo

CORALVILLE- The Iowa Transportation Commission (Commission) approved the Fiscal Year 2018-2022 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program (Program) during a meeting at Coralville on Tuesday, June 13.

In a news release, the Commission was said “to remain committed to previous highway programming actions by maintaining the schedules of large multi-year corridor improvement projects.”

These multi-year corridor improvement projects include U.S. 30 in Tama and Benton counties from the Tama bypass to U.S. 218 and Iowa 146 in Marshall County from County Road E-49 to U.S. 30 at LeGrand.

Bidding on the extension of the U.S. Highway 30 Expressway east of Tama will be in July and grading is to be bid in October. Mike Clayton, DOT District 1 planner, told The News-Herald in March the grading is not expected to begin until 2018.

The Transportation?Commission is chaired by John Putney, Gladbrook. Tom Rielly, Oskaloosa, recently was appointed to the seven-member board. Both have previously served in the Iowa Senate with Tama County or a portion of the county as part of their district.