The Iowa Transportation Commission this week approved funding for projects to reduce transportation congestion and air pollution, for recreation trails and for National Scenic Byways, safe routes to schools and preservation of historic transportation facilities. The largest allocation was $4 million for 10 projects from Iowa’s Clean Air Attainment Program. The largest amount approved in that allocation was nearly $1.5 million for the third phase of a traffic signal communication network project in Ames. Other projects include a traffic signal vehicle detector improvement project in West Des Moines, improvements to the Oralabor Road and Southwest State Street intersection in Ankeny, and the fifth phase of a traffic signal system timing project in Des Moines. The commission also approved nearly $1.3 million for six federal Recreation Trails Program projects, the largest of which was $388,000 to the Johnson County Conservation Board for improvements to the Clear Creek Trail. The commission also approved $984,213 for four statewide Iowa’s Transportation Alternatives Program projects. Among them was $482,200 to the University of Northern Iowa and the Tallgrass Prairie Center for integrated roadside vegetation management.