The Iowa Department of Transportation is planning to move its District 4 office from Atlantic to Council Bluffs, a shift generating worries among some state lawmakers about a negative impact on rural Iowa.

District 4 covers 17 counties in southwest Iowa, extending from the Iowa-Nebraska border to Dallas and Madison counties in the Des Moines metro area. Atlantic is in Cass County, which is in the center of the district, while Council Bluffs is on the far west side along the Missouri River.

State transportation officials are proposing the move "consistent with a larger strategy to reduce our physical footprint and increase our operating efficiency," said DOT spokeswoman Andrea Henry. The District 4 office currently has 23 employees.

Read the full article on the Des Moines Register website.