Save Rock Island State, Linn County preserves

The decision by the Iowa Department of Transportation and supported by metro area planning officials to construct an Interstate 380 interchange at Tower Terrace Road is welcomed. The addition of this interchange would enable the establishment of a beltway around the metropolitan area, allowing traffic to move more efficiently.

This would eliminate the need for the Highway 100 extension, which would not only save taxpayers millions of dollars, but it would also save the Rock Island State Preserve and the Linn County Preserve from construction damage. The 540 species located in these preserves would be saved. The special ecological importance of the sand prairie, oak savanna and wetland would be unaltered for generations to come.

Elwood Garlock

Cedar Rapids