(Des Moines)– It’s official. The jurisdiction of some former state highways will be transferred to local governments.
Governor Tom Vilsack Friday signed a bill passed in the last legislative session that transfers jurisdiction of 700 miles of road to cities and counties effective July 1st.
Roads being transferred locally include Highway 276 on the west side of Big Spirit Lake; Highway 327 on the east side of Big Spirit Lake; and Highway 256, or old Highway 71 in West Okoboji (in the Maywood area).
The entire stretch of Highway 86 from Milford to the Minnesota border will remain under the state’s jurisdiction. Earlier, just that portion of Highway 86 from Highway nine to the state line had been left out of the measure. County officials were successful in their effort to get the entire stretch deleted from the transfer.
The law changing the ownership of the roads includes funding for ten years for upkeep of the highways that will become county roads and streets.
