(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday received an update from County Engineer Dan Eckert regarding ongoing discussions he’s been having with D.O.T officials and commissioners regarding Highway 86 between Highway Nine and the Minnesota border.
The narrow, hilly road and it’s sharp curves at the stateline has long been a safety concern. The road has even been described as a “goat trail” by a former director of the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Eckert told the supervisors Tuesday D.O.T officials were on hand last Thursday, November 5th, for a field examination of the roadway. Eckert told the supervisors he’s been informed by D.O.T officials that a route change has been identified in the road’s alignment near the Minnesota stateline to avoid the sharp curves, making for a straight shot into Minnesota. As part of the proposal, Eckert said the D.O.T is requesting Dickinson county assume jurisdiction over a portion of the road that would be bypassed by the new highway.
Eckert says the preliminary plans he’s seen call for a much wider roadway and shoulders, with the grades of several hills being reduced considerably.
The total project has an estimated cost of roughly 14 million dollars. The county has committed 300-thousand dollars to the project.
Eckert told the supervisors the D.O.T has divided the project into two segments. He says a bidletting on the curve bypass is tentatively set for August of 2012 with a bidletting on the remainder of the project tentatively set for August of 2014. But he says he’s urging D.O.T commissioners to consider doing the project in just one year.
Highway 86 traffic would be detoured on Interstate 90, then down Highway 71 to Highway Nine.
Eckert told the supervisors he’s requested to be put on the agenda for the D.O.T commissioner’s monthly meeting in December to discuss the project some more.
