Hiawatha seeks DOT 'guidance' on Tower Terrace project

Armed with a study appearing to justify an Interstate 380 interchange at Tower Terrace Road, Hiawatha Mayor Tom Theis on Tuesday asked the Iowa Transportation Commission for "guidance" to get the project funded and constructed.

Theis, in remarks to the commission at the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, said the interchange will support regional transportation needs for Hiawatha, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Robins and Linn County.

"It will support economic development and help with future traffic demands on the Boyson Road and County Home Road interchanges with I-380," Theis said. "It also will reduce travel miles, lessen congestion and improve safety."

Theis said Hiawatha will continue to raise public awareness of the need for the interchange and develop metropolitan area partnerships to secure financing from local jurisdictions. He said the community also will seek federal funding from Iowa's Congressional delegation, noting that the cost of the interchange has been estimated at $16 million to $20 million.

Theis and other community leaders want Tower Terrace Road to eventually provide direct east-west access between Highway 13 and I-380. Marion has completed a $3.4 million section of the roadway and is prepared to complete a second section, but needs $9.5 million for a bridge over Indian Creek to link the completed portions.

The Iowa Transportation Commission also heard an appeals from other Corridor communities regarding specific projects they would like to see constructed.

Monica Vernon, Cedar Rapids mayor pro tem, thanked the commission for including the initial phase of the Highway 100 extension in its five-year plan. Vernon said the city and the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization will be hiring a consulting firm later this month to prepare a study of potential commercial and residential land use along the Highway 100 extension.

Jeff Davidson, Iowa City director of planning and community development, appealed to the commission to support $20.6 million in state funds to secure an $87 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration for Amtrak passenger rail service from the Quad Cities through Iowa City to Omaha.

"This is really a statewide initiative," Davidson said. "We think it will really be a great investment of state funds in the transportation system.

"Many college communities have experienced tremendous growth in ridership of trains. The Amtrak initiative will be really important to our Riverfront Crossings redevelopment project, which is located just five blocks from the Pentacrest."

The buildout of Iowa River Landing in Coralville will require an improved interchange at Interstate 80 and First Avenue, according to Coralville City Manager Kelly Hayworth. He told the commission that the overpass over I-80 needs to be widened to carry additional traffic and pedestrian trail access also should be incorporated in a redesigned interchange.

Hayworth and John Yapp of the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County told the commission that continued improvement is needed for the interchange at I-80 and I-380, which has been the location of numerous accidents.

Earlier in the session, Paul Trombino, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, also cited the I-80/I-380 interchange as a project for the commission to consider including in the next five-year road improvement plan. Trombino noted that the interchange was constructed in the 1960s and has experienced a significant increase in traffic beyond its original design.

Trombino mentioned a recently completed study of the I-380 corridor between Coralville and Cedar Rapids, saying there may be justification for expansion to six lanes from the current four lanes due to heavy auto and truck traffic. He said the state also will be looking at freight traffic into and out of Iowa as it works to meet transportation needs.