CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Cedar Rapids officials announced more than 50 street projects were completed during 2025, in the 12th year of the tax-funded Paving for Progress program.
The program leverages a one-percent, voter-approved sales tax to invest in improving the city’s roadways, with a focus on local, or residential, streets. In all, the program has seen more than $250 million invested in city streets since it launched.
Learn more from the city’s announcement on Dec. 30, 2025:
Twenty-five percent of the funding for Paving for Progress comes from people who don’t live in Linn County, says Doug Wilson, Program Manager for Paving for Progress. “We get people who are using our streets, to help pay for our streets.”
The program first went into effect July 1, 2014; residents voted again in November 2021 to renew the tax for an additional 10 years, taking the Paving for Progress program into 2034.
From 2014 to 2025, Paving for Progress has:
Completed more than 500 projects, 75% of them on residential streets
Fixed more than 130 miles of roadway
Invested more than $254 million in Cedar Rapids streets“We’ve put an emphasis this year on business signage on projects, especially through our Better Roads Ahead program,” Wilson said. “We do our best to make sure that access is maintained as much as possible for residents and businesses. And then once we are done, we’ve got a roadway that’s good for another 70 years, with minimal maintenance.”
Some of the larger Paving for Progress projects this year included:
42nd Street NE from Edgewood Road to Pine View Drive: Aiming to improve an aging roadway, stormwater drainage and water mains, this project ran from east of Edgewood Road NE to east of Pine View Drive NE. 42nd Street reopened to traffic earlier this month, with the 2026 phase set to begin next spring. That portion will run from Pine View Drive NE to west of Wenig Road NE. Improvements included:
Pavement patching from Edgewood Road to River Ridge Drive
Complete pavement replacement from River Ridge Drive to Pine View Drive
New storm sewer and water main
Sanitary sewer replacement
All sidewalks within the project limits replaced, and ADA curb ramps and pedestrian crossings added at side roads
3rd Street SW from 3rd Avenue to Diagonal Drive: Roadway improvements, and the replacement of aging sewer and traffic signals, were key to this project, which launched March 24 and wrapped up in November. It featured the reconstruction of approximately 5,400 square yards of pavement; new sanitary and storm sewer and water main; and replacement of all sidewalks within the project limits, including ADA curb ramps and pedestrian crossings added at side roads.
35th Street NE from Oakland Road to F Avenue: Started in 2024, this project wrapped in October with pavement reconstruction, utility improvements, sidewalk extension and related improvements. The project included rebuilding the concrete pavement; adding sidewalks on both sides; replacing driveways; and installing new storm and sanitary sewers. The project also added new street lighting and pavement markings, including a centerline and on-street parking/"urban shoulder" lines, which are mainly used by runners, walkers and cyclists.
5th Avenue SE: Recognizing that 5th Avenue SE was deteriorating, the City opted to resurface this downtown street before further deterioration would have required full removal and replacement. The project also added storm sewer and water main improvements. There was one very unique aspect about the project: An historic cemetery was once located under the intersection of 5th Avenue & 8th Street. For this reason, the City coordinated with the Office of the State Archaeologist on the project, with experts standing by to assist in case any artifacts were uncovered. However, none ever were. The project was completed from east of 5th Street to east of 12th Street in 2025; next year, work will wrap up after completing the resurfacing through 19th Street SE.
8th Street NE from 1st Avenue E to A Avenue NE: This 30-day project extended the life of 8th Street NE through pavement milling and asphalt overlay, as well as new curb and gutter and minor utility improvements.
1st Avenue W intersection with I-380 ramp: Aiming to improve both safety and traffic flow, work began in July on the turning and through lanes at this key access point for I-380. This included modifications to the traffic signal; upgrades to ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps and pushbuttons; and new sidewalk construction and landscaping. 
Fifth Avenue SE undergoes construction in April 2025 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
While Paving for Progress features major projects like the ones above, most of its projects are actually smaller, aiming to repair local, or residential, streets. These projects are completed by both private contractors and the City’s own highly skilled skilled labor forces. This allows the City to apply local option sales tax dollars efficiently.
“The City of Cedar Rapids is extremely fortunate to have a voter-supported funding source like Paving for Progress,” says Public Works Director Brenna Fall. “Years of deferred maintenance led to very poor pavement condition on many of our City streets. For the past 12 years, the Paving for Progress program has been chipping away at that backlog. When you drive around town now, it doesn’t take long before you see the progress.”
Plans are already underway for projects in 2026 and 2027.
“We are really proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and we look forward to continuing that progress for the next several years,” Fall says. “And we really appreciate everyone’s patience during construction season. We know it’s messy and inconvenient, but the results are well worth it.”
The total list of Paving for Progress projects in 2025 included:
35th Street NE from Oakland Road to F Avenue (Continuation from 2024)
3rd Street SW from 3rd Avenue to Diagonal Drive
5th Avenue SE from 5th Street to 19th Street
42nd Street NE from Edgewood Road to Pine View Drive
1st Avenue W at the I-380 Southbound exit
26th Street Drive SE, 1st Avenue to 23rd Street Drive
Crestview Drive SE, 13th Avenue to 30th Street
Day Street NW, Cedar Drive to D Avenue
Eastland Drive SE, Trail Ridge Road to Trail Ridge Road
Hollywood Boulevard NE, Council Street to Richmond Road
Jacolyn Drive NW, E Avenue to Montclair Drive
Kesler Road NW, West Post Road to Holly Avenue
Matterhorn Drive NE, Wenig Road to Applewood Court
Parkland Drive SE, Park Lane to Trail Ridge Road (east half)
Regal Avenue NE, Old Marion Road to Lee Street
Seely Avenue SE, 27th Street to end of asphalt on 14th Avenue
Sherman Street NE, 42nd Street to 46th Street
14th Avenue SE, East of Seely Ave to 30th Street
27th Street NW, 1670 27th Street to Q Avenue
Bever Avenue SE, intersection with Green Valley Terrace
Chestnut Ridge Court NE
Franbrook Terrace NW, 1st Avenue to Edgewood Road
Leroy Street NW, 1st Avenue to Skyline Drive
Lorcardo Drive NE, David Court to Cherry Lane
2nd Street SW, 16th Avenue to 17th Avenue
4th Avenue SE, 23rd Street to 25th Street
5th Street SE, 4th Avenue to 3rd Avenue
6th Avenue SW, 1st Street to 2nd Street
6th Street SE, 12th Avenue to 10th Avenue
6th Street SW, Ingleside Drive to railroad viaduct
7th Avenue SW, 6th Street to 4th Street
9th Avenue SW, 18th Street to Chandler St
9th Street SW, 16th Avenue to 18th Avenue
12th Avenue SW, Edgewood Road to Foote Street
19th Street NE, 1st Avenue to B Avenue
20th Avenue SW, Hamilton Street to 2nd Street
22nd Avenue SW, 13th Street to 11th Street
B Avenue NE, 19th Street to 20th Street
Broadmore Road SW, Crestridge Avenue to Langdon Avenue
Cox Avenue NW, Shelley Lane to Harnet Street
Foote Street SW, 12th Avenue to 1st Avenue
Glenwood Drive NW, Woodland Court to Belmont Parkway
Grande Avenue SE (south side), 17th Street to 20th Street
Greene Avenue NE, 16th Street to 17th Street
Harnet Street NW, Cox Avenue to Johnson Avenue
Hillside Drive NW, Waveland Drive to Westwood Drive
J Avenue NE, Maplewood Drive to Elmhurst Drive
Lauren Drive SW, Wilson Avenue Drive to C Street
Seely Avenue SE, 2816 Seely Avenue to 30th Street
Shelley Lane NW, Cox Avenue to Johnson Avenue
Valley Street NW, 11th Street to 13th StreetTo learn more about Paving for Progress, visit CityofCR.com/PavingForProgress
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