 As early as the 1980s , traffic levels on I @-@ 80 reached the road 's design capacity . As a result , the highway required significant repairs for which Iowa 's interstate maintenance program lacked funding . A 16 @.@ 2 @-@ mile @-@ long ( 26 @.@ 1 km ) section from CR F90 between Earlham and the western junction with I @-@ 35 needed $ 500 @,@ 000 ( $ 1 @.@ 04 million in 2016 ) in annual repairs . Funds for needed interstate repair became available in 1985 when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that freed up $ 7 billion ( $ 15 @.@ 4 billion in 2016 ) from the Highway Trust Fund , the national mechanism for funding repairs to the Interstate Highway System . Under the law , Iowa was slated to receive $ 200 million per year ( $ 440 million in 2016 ) for its interstates . 
