A year’s progress on Dubuque Street, but Iowa City drivers should expect more of the same

IOWA CITY - A year into major construction on the prime entrance to Iowa City, drivers on busy Dubuque Street should expect much of the same back ups and twists around construction work this summer.

The Gateway Project - construction to raise Dubuque Street and the Park Road Bridge for flood mitigation - is approaching its one-year construction anniversary at the end of May. The $40.6 million project is on track to be completed by August 2018 and is largely on budget, with costs increasing $200,000 so far for changes in the original contract.

While Dubuque Street still is down to one lane each direction, onlookers can now see the taller bridge and elevated road start to take shape.

Much of the current work is building structures that the bridge will be built on top of.

'If you're down here and you're standing on the existing bridge, you can look out and you can start to see the form of the arches and what shape that is going to take,” said Melissa Clow, a special project administrator with Iowa City.

Additionally, Clow said, the north portion of a wall made of rocks on the Iowa River's bank is visible and shaped correctly. As river levels go up and down and deposit silt between the rock, Clow said she anticipates it'll green up.

Dubuque Street is being raised 10 feet to a foot above the 100-year flood level. The bridge is being elevated to a foot over the 200-year flood level.

That area often has been prone to some flooding, but the road that usually carries 25,000 cars a day was closed for a month during the historic floods of 2008.

The contractor estimates construction work will stay in this phase until Oct. 1, with the exception of the installation of a turn lane from Dubuque Street to Park Road in the next few weeks or month.

'There might be a few shifts here and there ... to accommodate some utility work but otherwise this phase is where we're going to be for the summer,” Clow said.

Construction work continued throughout this last winter, with the majority of it being the installation of a new sewer. The mild winter, though, didn't work in the crew's favor - when the ground thawed, the site took on water.

STUDENTS SOON LEAVE

Much of Dubuque Street's traffic congestion lands in front of the University of Iowa's Mayflower Residence Hall, home to more than 1,000 students during the academic year.

But with student move out happening this week - dorms close for the semester at noon Saturday - officials are making plans to help.

The UI is discouraging anyone helping students move out of any residence hall from bringing trailers or moving vans.

Because of construction, university police will help with traffic and parking management Wednesday through Saturday, said Greg Thompson, interim director of residence education at University Housing and Dining, in an email.

At the Mayflower, 'the only major change we are making is that all parking for move out will be located in the parking lot behind the building - the north lot will remain closed for Cambus access during move out.”

People who regularly drive that route report that traffic sometimes is backed up to the Interstate 80 off ramp to Dubuque Street.

Cathy Cutler, a transportation planner with the Iowa Department of Transportation's District 6 office in Cedar Rapids, said she hasn't heard of that happening and lauded coordination between the city, the state and the UI for coping with high traffic volume days, like student move-out.

Rob Merritt, spokesman for the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, said that while he thinks 'everybody is eager to see this project get completed,” he has not heard concerns raised from businesses.

OTHER WORK AHEAD

Just to the west of Iowa City, Coralville officials also are planning updates to the city's main entrance corridor - First Avenue.

Ellen Habel, Coralville's assistant city administrator, said the project will rebuild First Avenue from Ninth Street to Sixth Street, including widening the avenue, adding signal updates and streetscape improvements. Work will mirror the updates to First Avenue south of Sixth Street that took place about six years ago.

Lanes might reduce at points, but the street will not fully close, she said.

'It will absolutely stay open and we'll have access to all the businesses,” she said.

The estimate for First Avenue improvements is $7.15 million, Habel said. Federal funds will offset some of the cost.

City staff plans to let bids for the project this November, with work set to begin next year.

l Comments: (319) 339-3172; maddy.arnold@thegazette.com

Mitchell Schmidt of The Gazette contributed to this report.