Living Roadway Trust Fund

Recognizing the value of native plants in our roadsides, the Iowa Legislature established the Living Roadway Trust Fund (LRTF) program in 1988. This annual, competitive grant program provides funding for Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) activities to cities, counties and applicants with statewide impact for the vegetation along Iowa's roadsides to be preserved, planted and maintained to be safe, visually interesting, ecologically integrated and useful for many purposes.

Funding Source

Appropriations for the LRTF are allocated from the road use tax fund, the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) fund, and other sources. Read Iowa Code Chapter 314.21 (PDF) for an explanation of how the LRTF is governed and or check out the Iowa Department of Transportation's Living Roadway Trust Fund website for more information about this excellent resource.

Since 1990, more than $17 million has been awarded for:

• research and demonstration projects
• vegetation inventories
• education and training programs
• gateway landscaping
• snow and erosion control
• roadside enhancement and maintenance