North Liberty endures growing pains as Highway 965 undergoes improvements

By far the largest reconstruction effort in fast-growing North Liberty, the Highway 965 project has reached another turning point.

Weather permitting, contractors hope to begin Thursday the roughly four weeks of updates to the east side of Penn Street's intersection with Highway 965, closing off that portion of the intersection and creating another detour.

North Liberty Mayor Amy Nielsen said she understands how the project is frustrating for some. But she said remaining patient is key.

'It's just a necessary evil,” she said. 'Understandably, they're frustrated that it's taking longer to get to the places they want to be at, I don't blame them. ... They may grumble in their car in the morning and afternoon, but I think they get it.”

City Administrator Ryan Heiar said the latest work, which has closed a portion of Highway 965 completely, is almost finished and brings the community one step closer being done.

'The reason we have the entire roadway shut down right now is so we can work as fast as possible and rip the Band-Aid off,” he said. 'I can say with great confidence that motorists will be happy with the improvements when they're unveiled.”

The Highway 965 project stems from a master planning process in 2008 - back when it was a two-lane highway from Coralville to North Liberty. The project marks a complete overhaul of one of the busiest arterial streets by improving intersections, adding lanes and building other amenities. The 2008 document details a seven-phase effort costing an estimated $30 million.

Dean Wheatley, North Liberty city planner, said the project includes a length of Highway 965 but the biggest focus in his city is its intersection with Penn Street, another busy avenue.

'You look at the focus of many of our land-use discussions in North Liberty, those come down to Penn Street and Highway 965. That's how people get into and out of North Liberty,” he said. 'It's really kind of the backbone of the city.”

Phase 1, which included a number of intersection upgrades, was completed last year. Phase 2, which began last fall, includes an intersection overhaul at Penn Street, reconstruction of the intersections at Dubuque Street and Scales Bend Road and added trails, sidewalks, landscaping and streetlight improvements that should be finished yet this summer.

So far the city has spent roughly $10 million on its part of the project.

With North Liberty's growing population, the road work will become all the more important as more and more drivers use it, Wheatley said.

A 2010 count by the U.S. Census Bureau put the city's population at 13,374. Officials estimate the city now has more than 17,000 residents.

On the south side of Highway 965 in Coralville, officials have seen a few weather related delays but hope to open all four lanes of traffic in August.

Following that, work will include some median updates and landscaping and grading efforts, said Coralville City Engineer Dan Holderness.

The roughly $5 million effort began last summer and has added to traffic delays along Highway 965, but Holderness said travelers have made do.

'Overall I think it's been received well, people realize it's a necessary step to get to the end of the project,” he said.

But the street reconstruction efforts don't come without growing pains. While drivers might dislike the extra travel time, business owners are concerned about lost customers due to fewer visits and less street visibility.

Nick Bergus, North Liberty communications director, said the city has been working to increase traffic to affected merchants by raising awareness to drivers that they are open for business.