Community Benefits

The Paving for Progress program aims to improve our roads, but the benefits stretch far beyond the pavement surface. Investing in our infrastructure also equates to numerous other positive community enhancements, including neighborhood aesthetics, pedestrian safety, utility improvements, economic vitality, and more.

Neighborhood Aesthetics

Well-maintained neighborhoods keep property values high and give the entire area a sense of community pride. Alongside committed property owners, these public improvements can have a tremendous impact on the overall aesthetics of a neighborhood.

Pedestrian Safety

Road work isn’t just about fixing the pavement. The City takes a holistic approach on projects by also reviewing pedestrian safety, filling in sidewalk gaps when possible, bringing sidewalk ramps up to code, upgrading traffic signals with pedestrian push-button activation, and using already available street width for bike lanes. The philosophy means that road projects give back tenfold, not only providing a smoother driving surface, but also improving the safety of our residents walking or biking.

Utility Improvements

New pavement isn’t replaced without also replacing or upgrading existing utilities found beneath the surface. Replacing and upgrading existing utilities helps to prevent new gas, water, sewer, electric, data and other utilities projects from cutting into the freshly reconstructed streets, extending the life expectancy of the new surface. This program encourages local utilities to work together to make needed repairs and upgrades before the streets are rebuilt. It can reduce the future risk of water main breaks and sewer collapses and provide an opportunity to improve roadway drainage, reducing street flooding and better controlling rainwater runoff. The majority of these coordinated capital improvement projects are funded by utilities rates and do not typically receive funding through the Local Option Sales Tax.

Economic Vitality

Paving for Progress helps support the overall health of our community’s economic engine. Commercial corridors with crumbling infrastructure do not position Cedar Rapids as positively as corridors with well-maintained public assets and infrastructure. The program has also boosted the industries of local construction and engineering design firms as they keep pace with the amount of new construction, creating new jobs locally.