First Avenue railroad work welcomed by drivers

Drivers who use First Avenue in southeast Iowa City appear thrilled that the city is moving forward with a plan to build an overpass for trains at the Iowa Interstate Railroad crossing.

One day last week, a train passed through the crossing shortly before noon, backing up cars for about a quarter-mile in both directions.

“I've been wanting this since they started talking about it,” said Dave Dunham, as he sat first in line behind the train. “It'll be nice when they start acting on it.”

Dunham said sometimes he waits for as long as a half-hour for trains to pass.

The City Council last week voted 6-1 to give the OK to start negotiations to acquire the necessary property at the crossing.

The plan appears to have overwhelming support from the community, but not everyone is pleased with all of the roughly $7 million project.

Bud Sueppel said his business, Sueppel Flowers at 1501 Mall Dr., would be perched 8 feet above street level if the city acts on its current design, which calls for elevating the tracks and lowering the road.

“We have to do something here, but I don't know why they have to go down and all this,” he said. “They need to figure another way out.”

Sueppel also expressed concerns of flooding if the road is lowered too far.

“Anybody that knows Iowa City knows that anytime it rains heavy, First Avenue is flooded,” he said. “The same thing is going to happen over here.”

Council members said they will hear further public input before the plan is finalized. Construction on the project could start as early as next spring.