Gazette Daily News Podcast, September 6

According to the National Weather Service there could be some fog to start your morning commute on Tuesday, but most of it should clear out by 9 a.m. After that cloudy skies will eventually become sunny in the Cedar Rapids area, with a high near 81 degrees. The low is predicted to settle in at 60 degrees, with partly cloudy skies.

Local governments in Johnson County want to make the Iowa River a signature attraction for residents and visitors.

With the help of Think Iowa City, the cities of Coralville and Iowa City, along with Johnson County, are preparing a nearly $6 million application to the state’s Destination Iowa program that will be submitted in the coming weeks.

The joint application seeks funding for various projects improving water and trail access in the county. This includes a new park in Coralville with various amenities, a skatepark renovation in Iowa City, new boat ramps, and completing the Clear Creek Trail connection out to Kent Park.

The application is part of a long-term plan to develop features to make the river easier to use from the Coralville Reservoir dam all the way down south to Hills and Riverside. That includes improving the trail system, adding more boat ramps so people can easily get on the water and planning other attractions along the river.

Navigating North Liberty will get more cumbersome once the University of Iowa completes its half-billion-dollar hospital project, according to a traffic study the university commissioned to determine what measures it should take to help mitigate congestion in the booming district.

The study, which Shive-Hattery Architecture and Engineering produced in May, analyzed 20 intersections near Highway 965 and Forevergreen Road, where UI Health Care is building its $525.6 million campus.

The firm recommended the addition of either traffic signals, more lanes or new restrictive signage at eight intersections to keep driving from devolving into unacceptable delays.

The analysis suggests dual turn lanes and a traffic signal off Forevergreen Road and a single turn lane off Wheaton Road — both of which UIHC would pay for.