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No official fanfare for free way open ingTwo orange Iowa Highway Commission pickup trucks pulled to a slop in Iront of a snow ; fence on Tlurd street about 10:20 - a.m. Wednesday.* Richard Maass, wielding wire ' cutters, stepped from one truck and began snipping the wires holding the snow fence to the large barrels. A fellow worker. Willis Hardy, stepped from tin* other truck and began rolling up the fence. They finished their work in eight quick minutes.Thus, without fanfare or ceremony, seven blocks of the . LS 534 freeway from Third to Central — the most expensive and one of the most controversial sections of highway in the city — was opened to traffic.The opening of the first stretch of the freeway, scheduled to be carrying traffic in October, was delayed while signs were installed. Then there was talk of a special ceremony to mark the opening of the stretch of paving that cost nearly a million dolkirs a block to build. But Tuesday city officials announced there would be no formal opening ceremony.“It was decided to wait 011 a ceremony for a more sig-| nificant stretch to be fini^ed. ( such as the one from the bridge to Roosevelt Ave.,” Larry Roach, acting city manager, explained.Those who drive on the stretch must travel the entire seven blocks since there are no entrances or exits except at Third and at Central.that did not exist when original estimates were made lie fore tiie road is completed, more than 150 houses will be demolished or relocated ana more than S8 million .‘•pent in acquiring right of The highway commission plans to pay nearly $400,000 in relocation aid to displaced property owners.Second SectionWith the 6 of a mile section between Third and Central open, work is progressing on the next section which extendsfrom Central to the west city limits. A S2.18 million viaduct is being built for the second section of freeway.of the freeway the Burlington west to the joining present US 34.Interchanges are planned at Main street to join the bridge, a: Central, Curran and Roosc-I*aI IStill to be finally determined is the matter of an interchange for West Burlington, possibly at Gear or Ramsey.County tax sale MondayA chance to pick up city real estate for — comparatively — next to nothing will come at 11 a.m. Monday in the Dos Monos county supervisors' office at the courthouse in Burlington.Ttie occasion is the county's annual tax sale, at which bidders will vie for four tracts on which previous owners have failed to pay taxes for at least three years.Kenneth Dittner, the super-ervisors’ tax sale agent, said he hopes to attract several offers on the properties, and listed these parcels:400 S. Maple (60x87’ lot at southeast corner of Fourth and Maple).307 S. Fourth (46x117* lot on west side of street between Elm and Maple).1506 Jefferson (57x109’ lot at northeast corner of Garfield andJefferson 1.1807 Isabella lt;120x150’ lot on west side of Isabella at south end of street).Bidders at the auction must be prepared to write checks for the full amount of sale, Dittner said.Plans for the US 534 freeway project were approved in 1966 and the entire project is scheduled to be completed in 1974 It is to be extend 5.5 miles from Mac Arthur bridge to a point on present US 34 about a mile west of West Burlington.SI Million A BlockThe new seven-block 'ITnrd-to-Central roadway opened today carries a price tag of $665 million — about $1 million less than the entire project was expected to cost when the highway commission announced plans in November of 1965 to relocate US 34 which now follows Spring and Mt. Pleasant streets west from Third.The freeway plan was approved after heated public hearings and strong opposition from North Hill residents wlio have since lost their homes to the freeway corridor. The North Hill corridor land, which included about 100 houses, cost nearly $2 6 million.Originally estimated to cost about $7.6 million, the entire project is now expected to cost about $22.36 million in stale Mid federal funds. 11 is | to eventually become part of an expanded Iowa freeway system of highways.The cost increase has been; attributed to a number of fae-j 1 tors, particularly inflation and 1 the normal rise of land prices’*I and the purchase of some | buildings in the freeway pathMOVING DAY. County Extension Director James C. Hodges empties his desk Wednesday preparatory to game of musical chairs in Federal Bldg. which saw the extension service move to offices formerly occupied by FBI and military recruiting officers, rooms 217 to 224. Selective service moved from room 211 to the former extension service suite. 230. and the FBI. from 22.5 to 211. Recruiters moved earlier to the former l.agomarcino building in the 100 block of Valley.
Newspaper Details
Burlington Hawk Eye
Burlington, Iowa, US
Wed, Nov 10, 1971
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
IA, USA 30 Apr 2017
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