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  • Estherville City Council Hears Updates From D.O.T On Highway 9 & 4 Projects

Estherville City Council Hears Updates From D.O.T On Highway 9 & 4 Projects

March 22, 2022 Steve Schwaller

(Estherville)– The Estherville City Council Monday evening received an update on improvements planned for Highway 9 on the city’s west side and Highway four both north and south of Highway 9. Dakin Schultz of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 3 Office told the council both projects were bumped up in the timeframe thanks to additional federal funding. Schultz told the council the Highway 9 resurfacing from the bridge over the West Fork of the Des Moines River to the city’s western border could even be done this construction season…

“This project, with it being a June bidletting, that means the contractor after they sign the contract and we have the meeting, they can start as soon as they would like. They would need to complete the project before winter but we will not require them to do the work this year. They will have the option to do the work this year, but they will be able to come in next year. We would have a late start of ’23 on it.”

Shane Tymkowicz, Assistant District Engineer for the D.O.T, told the council access will be maintained for businesses and residents along that stretch of Highway 9 while the work is going on…

“A couple of sites will have specific notes with a little bit more detail to that. When they say you’ll have access to your home or business it’s not like you’re absolutely driving down the pavement. The point where we tear out the concrete and put the granular sub base back in you may be driving over the granular portion of the roadway to get to your home until that point. There will be a short period of time right when they’re paving in front of a home or business that that access may be limited for a day or two while the paving or the curing of the concrete goes on, but by and large we’re trying to keep people as much access as we can during the project that’s going on.”

Reconstruction of Highway 4 is scheduled for 2023. Schultz says it’s conceivable both projects could be going simultaneously in 2023. A bidletting for the projects will be held in June. Detours will be in place during both projects. Some infrastructure work will likely be part of the Highway 4 project.

Schultz says the projects represent an investment of some $7 million in the Estherville community.

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