(Spirit Lake)– A large crowd gathered in the Community Room of the Dickinson county courthouse late yesterday (Thurs.) afternoon to view firsthand plans by the Iowa Department of Transportation to rebuild Highway 86 between Highway 9 and the Minnesota border.
Dakin Schultz of the D.O.T’s regional office in Sioux City was one of the agency staffers on hand for the hearing. He tells KUOO news the 15 million dollars in funding that’s needed for the project has been secured.
Schultz says the project will include some major safety improvements to a stretch of road that’s become one of the most dangerous in Iowa. Plans call for the pavement to be realigned in many areas and for several slopes to be reduced. Wider pavement and shoulders would also be included, and some sharp curves at the border would be elimintaed.
Schultz says the project represents some special challenges due to some environmentally sensitive areas it goes through. As a result he says the D.O.T was required to complete an environmental assessment, the findings of which were also presented to the public Thursday.
Schultz says plans call for right-of-way to be acquired in 2012 with construction in 2013. He says they’re reasonably sure the project can be constructed in just one season.
