Coralville, North Liberty city councils discuss Forevergreen Road project

Officials with the cities of Coralville and North Liberty will likely approve a final plan for the future development of Forevergreen Road following a joint work session on Tuesday night.

The work session, held at Van Allen Elementary School Tuesday night, came after years of planning to extend Forevergreen Road from the roundabout at 12th Avenue in North Liberty to North Dubuque Street in Johnson County.  Though the cities initially began planning in 2006, officials decided not to move forward with the project at that time because of unsettled growth boundaries and a lack of public input.

Even though construction is not expected to begin in the near future, both cities have said they want to finalize a road plan before development in these growth areas begins.

During the work session, council members went over the Forevergreen Road Extension Corridor Study, prepared by Shive Hattery, and discussed the most updated proposed plan. Though a few members had questions regarding speed and what the trails would be like, most present were concerned over whether there were any remaining issues with property owners that could arise if they voted to approve the plan in future meetings.

Brian Willham, traffic and transportation services leader with Shive Hattery, said he did not anticipate much conflict.

"I don't think we have any really serious resistance," Willham said, adding that there will always be people concerned with change. "A few folks wanted to meet a second time and we went out and put some stakes in the ground for a few folks so they could visualize it better, so we really tried to do our best in answering questions. We really wanted them to feel comfortable with what we're proposing."

In the process of forming the final concept, Willham said the study team met with property owners - some two or three times - to discuss the potential plans and answer questions. The team also had several public information sessions where they were able to get input from the community and answer questions regarding possible concerns. 

The study, based upon input received and multiple public information meetings, discussions with the Coralville and North Liberty staff, and comparison with previous alternatives that were developed in the first 2006 study, is recommending a fourth concept that balances concerns over impacts to environmentally sensitive areas and locations for alignment.

Among other improvements, the study says this concept, referred to as Concept D, decreased the area of  right-of-way, requiring less irregular property acquisition than the 2006 version. It also moves the road further north, which will likely leave less of an impact on the ornate box turtle habitat, woodland area, and bat habituated areas. The study shows this design is also expected to create a better intersection angle with North Liberty Road than the recommendation in 2006.

Traffic studies have indicated that Forevergreen Road will carry between 3,000 and 6,600 cars per day by 2040. Because of this, the road will be two lane - with one lane going each direction - including right and left turn lanes at major intersections as needed. The study said retaining walls may also be included in come locations to minimize the impact on surrounding property and natural resources in the future.

The road will also likely include a shared-use trail, sidewalk, and space for public utilities such as water mains, sanitary sewers, and communication cables.

Construction costs for the project are estimated at $12.4 million, excluding property acquisition, surveying, and environmental and design activities. No public money is reserved for road construction, and private property owners will pay for the installation of the street as development occurs. Officials also said they don't expect construction of the road to begin anytime in the near future.

After the work session, Coralville Mayor Jim Fausett said he was happy with the time Shive Hattery put in with property owners before presenting a final plan to each city, adding it will likely pay off in the end.

"I think it just goes to show the more open you can be, the less problems you will have in the end," Fausett said.

Each city council will likely vote on the final plan in early May.