(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday were updated on a possible upgrade of Highway 86 between Highway Nine and the Minnesota border.
As we reported previously, representatives of nine counties in the Northwest Iowa Planning and Development Commission’s Regional Planning Affiliation met recently and voted unanimously to earmark 700-thousand dollars in federal funding they’ve received for improving Highway 86. It still needs to be approved by the group’s Policy Committee.
Dakin Schultz, a planner with the District Three D-O-T office in Sioux City, told the supervisors he’s gauging local support before taking the proposed project to D-O-T commissioners.
Schultz also told the supervisors that if the north end of Highway 86 is upgraded, improvements should also be made to that part of the highway south of Highway Nine. Schultz says upgrades are needed in that area to keep up with rapid development and heavier traffic volume.
Schultz says improvements to the highway north of Highway Nine would consist of full-width shoulders, hills would be lowered, and the curves at the stateline would be straightened.
The estimated cost of construction has been put at seven million dollars. That does not include right-of-way acquisition or environmental work. That could be an issue as a federal agency, the U-S Fish and Wildlife Agency, owns a significant amount of land in that area.
Dickinson county’s five-year road plan has 300-thousand dollars in it earmarked for Highway 86. The supervisors indicated they’d be more than willing to put money toward the project, as long as assurances are made jurisdiction of the road won’t be transferred to the county sometime in the future. An attempt by the legislature to do that several years ago failed after the county loudly objected. Schultz told the supervisors his office is strongly recommending Highway 86 remain a state road.
2008 is the earliest any construction could start if things go smoothly.
