Coralville to seek grant for Interstate 80 interchange renovation

Coralville is making preparations for a $24 million renovation of the Interstate 80-First Avenue interchange.

The City Council is scheduled to vote Dec. 27 on a resolution to seek a $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration to cover half the cost of designing the project. The Iowa Department of Transportation would pay the other half, City Engineer Dan Holderness said.

The city wants a redesigned interchange to safely handle anticipated increases in traffic, he said. The city's Iowa River Landing District is being developed just off the exit and is to have a medical facility, hotel, stores, offices and more.

The project calls for a wider and longer bridge over I-80, loops in the northeast and southwest quadrants that would eliminate the need for left turns to get on the interstate and pedestrian/bicycle underpasses, Holderness said.

The design work would take about two years and construction would begin after that is done and funding is secured, and take another two years. It's not known when the city will find out whether it will get the grant.

The city and the DOT will negotiate how to split the $24 million price tag once the design process starts, Holderness said.