Iowa DOT seeking public feedback on Coralville interchange project

CORALVILLE — The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on the planned $41 million overhaul of the Interstate 80/First Avenue interchange.

Work is scheduled to begin in fall 2022 on the project that would replace the existing interchange with a diverging diamond design, which would create signal-controlled crossover lanes for those taking First Avenue to the interstate. The design would also eliminate left turns across opposing lanes.

According to a news release from the Iowa DOT, a prerecorded presentation about the project has been uploaded to www.iowadot.gov/pim. Those interested in the project can find it by going to that address and clicking “Interstate 80 and 1st Avenue, Johnson County” from the list of events. The event page includes renderings of the project, which includes a pedestrian path across the interstate.

At the bottom of the event page is a link for the public to submit comments.

The DOT said roadway and bridge work is expected to be complete after two construction seasons and the final trail, landscaping and erosion control work will be finished in the third year. The project will use staged construction, meaning limited brief closures with “no planned large disruption” to traffic on First Avenue or Interstate 80, the DOT said.

The interchange — near hotels, restaurants, medical facilities and other businesses in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing — sees more than 80,000 motorists each day.

Last year, Coralville received a $20.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's “Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development” program, which fully funded Coralville’s portion of the project. The DOT set aside roughly $21 million in its five-year road plan for the project, Coralville City Administrator Kelly Hayworth told The Gazette last year.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com