Coralville, Hiawatha make pitch to DOT for funding projects

Plans for a $25 million reconstruction of the I-80/First Avenue interchange in Coralville need to be in the state's next five-year highway plan, Coralville city officials told the Iowa Transportation Commission today.

The project would make the interchange, which has not been reconstructed since I-80 was built in the 1960s, resemble the current interchange of I-80 and Coral Ridge Avenue. It would eliminate the need for left turns across traffic, Coralville City Administrator Kelly Hayworth said, reducing traffic back-ups and improving safety.

The new interchange would also include a new bridge over I-80 that would be wide enough to manage the future widening of I-80 to eight lanes within the next two decades, City Engineer Dan Holderness said.

Coralville is near completion of a interchange justification report that shows the redesign is needed even without the growth in the city's Iowa River Landing project. That growth includes a new University of Iowa outpatient medical facility that is expected to generate over 300,000 patient visits per year.

The city is poised to consider action on a request to build a 100-room hotel and retail development project in the Iowa River Landing at its meeting tonight. An anchor department store for the Iowa River Landing project will be announced soon by the retailer, Hayworth said.

“We will be here in December with a final plan submitted for approval,” Hayworth said at the commission's October public input meeting in Dubuque.

Coralville would like to have the project placed in the next five-year plan to be approved next summer with funding for construction in 2014 if possible.

The commission also heard from representatives of Hiawatha and Marion about a interstate interchange request. Hiawatha Mayor Tom Theis and Marion City Manager Lon Pluckhahn urged support for a Tower Terrace Road interchange on I-380.

The City of Hiawatha is seeking funding for an interchange justification report in the next five-year highway plan to establish the need for funding of an interchange, mainly to reduce congestion at the I-380/Boyson Road interchange, Theis said.

In response to feedback from the state, Theis said the City of Hiawatha is working on several projects that have been identified in previous studies as necessary before an interchange is built. They include installation of traffic signals at the current four-way stop at Boyson Road and Robins Road, and improvements that will add a third lane to North Center Point Road.

Pluckhahn said the City of Marion is already prepared to build the first 2,000-foot-long stretch of Tower Terrace from North Tenth Street to Alburnett Road. He expressed the city's enthusiastic support for using Tower Terrace as a corridor across Marion's north side from I-380 to Highway 13.

Marion and Hiawatha are cooperating on the project to create a major new east-west transportation corridor from I-380 to Highway 13.

Marion expects to see $30 million of commercial development along the stretch of Tower Terrace Road, Pluckhahn said. It's important for the city to have more commercial development, he said. Even though Marion's population growth in the last two years added the population equivalent of the City of North Liberty, he said the city gained only two major commercial developments, one anchored by Menards and another anchored by a Walmart Supercenter.

Iowa City representatives discussed two major industrial developments that need DOT support. A rail grant will be requested to support the planned 420th Street Industrial Park, a new industrial park on the east edge of the city that will seek to recruit wind power component manufacturers from Europe. Rail access is critical because of the size of the components they manufacture and the long distances they must be shipped.

“There is a strategy now to bring suppliers to the United States from Europe and we want to be part of that,” said Jeff Davidson, Iowa City director of planning and community development. “We are very hopeful and at least we will have the industrial park set up and ready to go when the economy turns around.”

Davidson also discussed the new 141-acre commercial park planned for the northeast portion of the city. He said the area may need state assistance for a new interchange at Oakdale Boulevard and Highway 1.

The city's presentation also highlighted plans to upgrade South Riverside Drive (Highway 1) to add sidewalks, and to improve pedestrian access across Burlington Street due to plans for a new 12-story office complex that will incorporate facilities for the University of Iowa's school of music. City Council member Regenia Bailey said the project will extend the downtown commercial district south across Burlington Street.