From the City Manager

When we conduct surveys to help us understand where residents want us to prioritize funding, it’s never a surprise that a top concern is road repairs. Cedar Rapids residents have long desired consistent and intentional improvements that would help reverse the condition of our roads and make our neighborhood streets and commercial corridors safe and attractive.

When voters approved a new funding source in 2013 that could only be spent on road improvements, it put us on the path toward addressing these long-held concerns.

Over the last seven years of Paving for Progress, the City team has worked hard to use these critical funds to make significant improvements throughout the community, with a data-driven, impartial, and fiscally responsible plan. We have made every effort to share the data and plans with the community through public outreach efforts, the City website, newsletters, fliers, annual reports, working with local media, and much more. It is important that Cedar Rapids residents see the benefits that the program is making throughout the community and know that the City is using those funds in the most responsible manner.

This issue of Our CR provides in-depth information about the program and showcases just a few of the many significant improvements that have been made to roads through Paving for Progress.

We are extremely proud of the Paving for Progress program and how far we have come. We also know there is much more to do. Ongoing maintenance cannot be ignored and must be addressed so our roads don’t continue to deteriorate. There is a cost benefit of performing work early rather than when the street is worse and repairs are more costly.

Providing a community where people want to live, work and visit begins with the basic needs — including quality streets. We sincerely appreciate your investment in our community, and your ongoing support of the Paving for Progress program.

Jeffrey Pomeranz, Cedar Rapids City Manager