PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER, IT MIGHT BE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ROADS, THE POTHOLES, THE BUMPS, THE CRACKS. IT’S EASY TO CRITICIZE US. BUT AS WE FOUND OUT TODAY, IOWA REALLY HAS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE AT LEAST ON ONE PARTICULAR ROUTE. DRIVE ALONG INTERSTATE 80IN EASTERN JASPER COUNTY AND THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE YOU’LL MISS IT. THE APPARENT GREATNESS OF THIS STRETCH OF ROAD. OH, YES, ASPHALT IS GREAT, BUT LORI ELLIOTT DOWN AS IMPRESSED WITH WHAT IOWA HAS THE BEST ROADS IN THE COUNTRY. SO WE ARE REALLY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE THIS EVERY DAY. AND THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY KNOW ROADS SEEM TO AGREE JUST BEING THAT IT’S MADE OF A ASPHALT. THE ASPHALT PAVEMENT ALLIANCE JUST AWARDED THE IOWA DOT WITH WHAT THEY CALL A PERPETUAL PAVEMENT AWARD. THAT MEANS THIS. 4.23 MILE STRETCH OF I-80 IS THE BEST OF THE BEST. BETTER THAN MICHIGAN. SO HOW DOES A ROADWAY WIN SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS, YET OBSCURE HONOR? THE PAVEMENT NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST 35 YEARS OLD AND NEVER STRUCTURALLY FAIL. AMONG OTHER QUALIFICATIONS, I THINK IT’S GREAT THAT THE DESIGNERS AND THE DISTRICT AND THE CONTROL FACTORS CAN GET RECOGNIZED FOR THE EXCELLENT WORK THAT THEY’VE DONE AND AND I THINK THE LONGEVITY OF THIS PAVEMENT IS JUST REALLY A TESTAMENT TO SO MANY PEOPLE’S HARD WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS ROADWAY OVER THE YEARS. AND THIS ASPHALT TAKES A BEATING WITH 31,000 VEHICLES A DAY. MANY OF THOSE DRIVERS ARE PEOPLE SIMPLY PASSING THROUGH. NEVER KNOWING THEY ARE DRIVING ON GREATNESS FROM SOUTH DAKOTA. SO THEY GET NICE ROADS OUT THERE TO HERE. I THINK YOU GUYS JUST HAVE AVERAGE ROADS FOR BLACKTOP JUST AVERAGE. HE’S JUST JEALOUS. CASS. YEAH, I MEAN, COME ON. SOUTH DAKOTA DOESN’T BEAT IOWA AT ANY THING, RIGHT? THE IOWA DOT IS USED TO GETTING THESE ACCOLADES, ACCOLADES. BY THE WAY, THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME IT’S WON THIS AWARD. SO WAY TO GO, FOLKS. LOVE THAT. I MEAN, WOW. YEAH. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN JOKE ABOUT THAT, RIGHT? LIKE GETTING AN AWARD FOR FOR FOR ASPHALT. BUT AT THE SAME POINT, THAT IS JUST SUCH A THANKLESS JOB THAT THOSE MEN AND WOMEN DO. AND LIKE I TRY IN THE WINTER TIME TO GIVE MY ACCOLADES WHEN THEY’RE OUT THERE PLOWING, IT’S THE SAME CREWS THAT ARE TYPICALLY PAVING. I MEAN, KUDOS TO THEM. YEAH, LO