Hide Article Text (OCR)
Highway plan to speed big area projectsBy Rod Boshart__s_ Gazette Des Moines BureauAMES The state Transportation Commission gave final approval Tuesday to a five-year highway construction plan that accelerates completion of several major travel corridors considered key 1 to Iowa’s economic future.The $1.7 billion highway-building blueprint includes priority funds to finish sections of the Avenue of the Saints project through Iowa and to add two lanes to U.S. Highway 151 in Jones and Dubuque counties.Another priority is to link Des Moines and Burlington with four lane roads and urban by passes. Plans call, too. for improving Iowa High ways 5, 60 and 330.Overall, the six projects represent an invest ment of $525 million through the year 2004.The seven member state panel also agreed to earmark about $13.2 million in improvements to U.S. Highway 20 spanning 76 miles from Hardin County west to Sac County, including money to purchase rights of way in western Iowa.However, the com niissioners said the commitment to buy land should not lie construed to mean sections of Highway 20 west of Fort Dodgewill be expanded to four lanes any time soon, if ever.This is not a vote for a four-lane road from Fort Dodge to Sioux City. said DOT Oun-missioner Tom Alter.He characterized the authorization for right-of-way acquisition as an effort to create options for future decision-makers, but he questioned whether it would be advisable to have two four lane, east west routes (Highways 20 and 30) in suchclot** pruxumty, _ .Representatives from communities served by Highway 20 argued that northwest Iowa often gets ignored when highway and other state funds are distributed, and said they should not he left out of a new legislative focus aimed at linking non-met ropolitan economic centers to Iowa’s largest cities and major highway corridors in adjacent states.It was a good day. but it was a small step forward,” said Rep. Rod Halvorson, D-Fort Dodge, following the commission vote and a separate Department of Transportation presentation indicating the state will have to come up with another $455 million over 10 years to complete the legislative highway vision.The Legislature s Access Iowa is a long rangePRIORITIES■ Finishing sections of the Avenue of the Saints project through Iowa.■ Adding two lanes to U.S. Highway 151 in Jones and Dubuque counties.■ Unking Des Moines and Burlington withfour lane roads and urban bypasses.■ Turn to 11 A: Highways
Newspaper Details
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US
Wed, Dec 18, 1996
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
IA, USA 21 May 2017
Other Publications Near Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Cedar Rapids Republican and Times
Cedar Rapids Republican
Cedar Rapids New Cosmos
Cedar Rapids Cosmos
