This newspaper remains concerned that some aspects of the stimulus package approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama are imprudent. The stimulus program would have served the nation better had it included more provisions to encourage investment – tax cuts – and less spending on projects of dubious value.

That said, however, those federal dollars that support infrastructure projects are an especially wise investment in the future. They will generate new construction jobs in the relatively near future, thereby helping an industry that is especially hard-hit by this recession. Of even greater importance, however, is the long-term impact of such projects on the economy. Money spent to improve the transportation system through repairing and upgrading roads and bridges produces benefits far into the future.

In that regard, there is good news concerning the effort to make U.S. Highway 20 a four-lane, statewide thoroughfare.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has announced that the federal government will make $533,520 available to speed up progress on this important project. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the money will be invested in the highway between the border of Calhoun and Sac counties and Moville in Woodbury County.

“I’ve been waiting for the day that I could drive across Iowa on a four-lane Highway 20,” Grassley said in a statement issued by his office announcing the influx of federal dollars for this project.

Grassley and other members of the Iowa congressional delegation have been tireless supporters of the Highway 20 initiative. Thanks in part to their efforts, they day may soon be at hand when traversing this state on a four-lane Highway 20 ceases to be a dream and becomes a reality.