State transportation program includes Charles City U.S. 18 paving, other Floyd County projects

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Iowa Transportation Commission approved its latest five-year construction plan on Tuesday, setting out $3.6 billion in projects for highways, bridges, airports, railroads, recreational trails and mass transit in the state.

The plan includes several Floyd County projects, including about 6 miles of pavement rehab on Highway 18 through Charles City to the Chickasaw County line in fiscal year 2021, for a state-share price of $5.35 million.

The Charles City project is separated into two parts. The first part consists of 1.4 miles of U.S. 18 pavement rehab from Gilbert Street up to the Brantingham bridge, then from the other side of the bridge to 800 feet east of the railroad crossing on the eastern edge of the city, at a state cost of $2.82 million.

The second part of that project is 4.5 miles of U.S. Highway 18 rehab, beginning where the first part leaves off, then going east to the Chickasaw County line, for $2.52 million.

Pete Hjelmstad, District 2 field services coordinator with the Iowa Department of Transportation, said the project includes milling off the existing surface and replacing it with 3 inches of new asphalt, and adding curb and gutter and storm sewer intakes between F Street and the Charley Western Trail where they don’t exist now.

It also includes new sidewalk on the north side of the highway from Kelly Street to Grand Avenue, accessibility and sidewalk updates, signal and intersection updates at the Grand Avenue intersection, signal replacement at the Clark Street intersection and pedestrian signal replacement at the F Street intersection, Hjelmstad said.

Some additional right of way will be required and that will be purchased this year in August through November. Bids on the project are tentatively set to be let in December, with construction beginning next April 2021.

“Traffic will not be detoured, but will be guided through the work zone by pilot cars and flaggers,” Hjelmstad said.

The Transportation Commission’s five-year plan also includes the new elevated interchange project on the Avenue of the Saints at the main intersection in Floyd, a total $22.28 million project expected to take a couple of years to complete.

Right-of-way purchases of about $1 million for the Floyd interchange project are expected to begin this year. Construction is expected to be completed in fiscal year 2022, with erosion control finished in 2023.

“The commission remains committed to previous highway programming actions by continuing to include large multiyear corridor improvement projects,” the Iowa Transportation Commission said in its report.

Other Floyd County projects included in the 2021-2025 Iowa Highway Program are:

• Highway 18 ditch project near the Chickasaw County line, including $2,000 to purchase right of way and $56,000 for rip rap in fiscal year 2021.

• Highway 218 rehab in Floyd from Montgomery Street to the railroad crossing; 0.3 miles in fiscal year 2021 for $668,000 plus $2,000 for additional right of way.

• Highway 14 bridge replacement at Flood Creek 3.6 miles south of county road B45, $1.3 million in fiscal year 2024.

• Highway 218 bridge deck overlay project over the Cedar River 0.2 miles south of county road B33, for $850,000 in fiscal year 2024

The Federal Highway Railroad Crossing Safety Program includes a $275,000 project to replace signals with gate arms at the crossing of the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Co. at Zinnia Avenue in Floyd County.