Residents say they want Mount Vernon-Lisbon Highway 30 bypass

The topic of the hearing was a construction preservation zone along the route of the proposed Highway 30 bypass of Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

But most of the discussion was about the bypass itself, which is no longer in the Iowa Department of Transportation's five-year plan.

Bill Schettler, 58, of Mount Vernon, was among those at the hearing Thursday at Mount Vernon High School who said the bypass is long overdue.

“I'd like to see them getting rolling on this, to take the pressure off the local road and make it a roadway instead of a raceway,” said Schettler, whose daughter, Eadie Marie, was seriously injured in a car accident almost two years ago when turning onto Highway 30.

Schettler said a support group should be organized to promote the bypass.

Roger Johanson, 60, a Lisbon resident who commutes on Highway 30 to teach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, said the bypass should have been built 10 years ago.

“Any time of day it's hard to get on the highway,” Johanson said. “It is reckless and irresponsible not to do this.”

More than 225 people attended the hearing on the preservation zone, which requires those wishing to develop land in the proposed bypass corridor to seek DOT approval if their building permits are $25,000 or more or if they want to rezone or subdivide land. Many wondered why the hearing was being held now, since the zone went into effect June 24.

“The only reason we're bringing this out now is because we'd like to know if there's proposed development in the corridor,” said Brad Hofer, a DOT engineer.

He said the bypass could be added to the five-year plan if funding becomes available or other projects on the list fall by the wayside. Hofer said there does not necessarily need to be a huge groundswell of support locally for the engineers to recommend the bypass to the DOT.