Major road project headed for Stanwood

Officials are planning a major road project on Highway 38 through Stanwood, a Cedar County town of 673 about 30 miles east of Cedar Rapids.

The $1.1 million project is slated for 2016. A public meeting to discuss the effects will be held Sept. 22 in Stanwood.

'This is a major project for the city of Stanwood to the north corporate limit,” said Newman Abuissa of the Iowa Department of Transportation District 6 office in Cedar Rapids. 'It's a major project that hopefully will be done in the next construction season. They'll have a new highway, new sidewalk and some new utilities.”

The work consists of three main components. The utility portion includes a new water main, water service line and sanitary sewers, along with storm sewer improvements to replace drain inlets.

As part of pavement reconstruction, curbs, gutters and partial paved shoulders will be added for the north end of the project. Sidewalks along the highway will be replaced with 5-foot-wide sidewalks and new curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

The Iowa DOT will seek bids from contractors Feb. 16.

During construction, Highway 38 will be closed to through-traffic. Local traffic may use side streets, Abuissa said. Pass-through traffic will be detoured. For the south of Broadway Street, the detour will travel along Highway 30, Main Street, and Broadway Street for the work south of the Broadway Street. For work north of Broadway, traffic will follow a detour using Highways 30, 1, and 151.

The project cost for Iowa DOT work is estimated at $1.1 million