Deal lets work at Forevergreen Road intersection proceed

North Liberty plans to build a roundabout at an intersection on Forevergreen Road west of Interstate 380 — in a fast-growing area that’s been the subject of legal disputes for years — with construction beginning as soon as 2026.

The fate of the intersection, at Forever Green Road and Jasper Avenue, its connecting roads and who will build them holds the key to better connecting some of the state’s fastest-growing cities. But four different government entities are involved, and the work has been up in the air since 2019.

Coralville, Tiffin, North Liberty and Johnson County all have jurisdiction over parts of the land around the intersection. A contract between the government bodies they’ve all signed will allow for the construction.

North Liberty will be the lead agency on the roundabout construction, though the cost will be split evenly between North Liberty and Tiffin. Construction costs for it have yet to be finalized.

Extension of Jasper Avenue

The legal disputes have been between Coralville, Tiffin and the Rarick Land Trust, which deeded 7 acres of land to Coralville in an area south of the proposed roundabout. North Liberty never has been involved in the legal action, but part of the project will take place within the city’s jurisdiction — so it’s included in the agreement.

Coralville, Tiffin, North Liberty and the trust all are expected to sign a settlement agreement that will put an end to the litigation and return the deeded land back to the trust, representatives of the cities involved say.

That settlement will allow for the continuation of Jasper Avenue south of the proposed roundabout to Andersen Drive, which connects to the Pinseekers hybrid-golf and gaming complex in Tiffin.

“We have done a pretty good job of not picking up any problems that we didn't need to, but we want to be part of a solution,” said North Liberty City Attorney Grant Lientz at a City Council meeting.

As terms of the agreement, Coralville will build the continuation of Jasper Avenue and assume financial responsibility for its construction. The city does not have a firm timeline for the project, as construction on the road would not begin until the roundabout is completed.

“We didn't think it would be right to put a road on Jasper Avenue when we don't know how the property is going to develop. … So we will work with the Rarick family whenever that property develops to get that project done in the future,” Coralville City Attorney Kevin Olson said at a City Council meeting.

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Tiffin will begin to undergo the process of conveying the right of way on south Jasper Avenue to Coralville to allow for the road construction. However, Tiffin will retain a portion of about 100 feet, pending the roundabout’s construction, west of where the proposed roundabout will connect to Jasper Avenue.

The right of way retention is meant to “avoid potentially assisting Coralville’s desire to annex the Trust property to the northwest,” the settlement agreement states.

“I don't like giving up any land … but anything that brings this to a close is a good thing for our community,” Tiffin City Council member Skylar Limkemann said at a City Council meeting.

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