This bridge on Iowa 24 at Fort Atkinson in Winneshiek County, destroyed by flood waters this spring, is just one of hundreds that need repairs. The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking federal money to pay for repairs so the rest of the state's roadway repair schedule isn't affected. [Click to enlarge]

The closest northwest Iowa got to this summer's flooding was photos and video clips in the news.

But this region of the state is linked to the flood ravaged areas via a vital connection -- the state highway system.

Now the already financially strapped Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) is hustling to fix the bridges and roads destroyed by floodwaters in central and eastern Iowa.

Does that mean projects in the unaffected part of the state will be pushed to the back burner?

Officials from IDOT say no.

"We're hoping to recover most of the cost with federal assistance," said Dena Gray-Fisher, IDOT spokesperson. "That way the rest of the state will not be affected."

IDOT is aggressively applying for federal grants, she said. But most of them require the applicant to pay a percentage of the project cost.

"The goal for the department is to get as many roads and bridges back into service before harvest time," Gray-Fisher said. "We're out doing assessments now to the state highway system."

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The IDOT is hiring contractors each week to take on the emergency repairs.

Damages, Gray-Fisher said, are extensive.

At one point, 149 segments of roadway on the state highway system were closed. More than 300 bridges and culverts also had to be closed. On top of that 247 more highway sections need repairs.

"You just can't believe what the force of water does to a road," Gray-Fisher said. "It heaved up huge slabs of concrete and threw them around like they didn't even exist."

IDOT still has major closings, Gray-Fisher said. One of those is the U.S. Highway 34 bridge at Burlington.

Projects in northwest Iowa planned for this summer include work on the Iowa Highway 60 project near Sibley, work on U.S. Highway 75 in Sioux County, grading work on the four-lane U.S. Highway 20 project is Webster and Calhoun Counties and bridge overlays in Sioux City, according to Dakin Schultz of IDOT.

The flood damage impacts more than IDOT, Gray-Fisher pointed out.

"County roads and city streets were hit, and some are in worse shape than the highways. Bus services lost buses," she said. "And 400 miles of rail tracks have been washed out. That's not going to be a quick repair."

Some of the rail bridges are $5 million structures.

"At the present time there isn't resources to replace them. The railroad isn't funded federally," Gray-Fisher said. "These are private companies."

The flooding even impacted the routes of some waterways, she said.

"It was a really hard hit," she said.

For more information and photos of the impact of this year's flooding on the IDOT, visit www.iowadot.gov and click on the flood information link.