Sioux Center’s Highway 75 redesign – focused on safety, function, and aesthetics that represent the community’s character – has met some significant milestones as it moves toward 2023-24 construction. Trent Bruce, of DGR Engineering, shared an update last week with the city council.
Bruce said the preliminary design for the project has been submitted to the Iowa Department of Transportation, and he walked the council through the planned design for several intersections.
“We’re planning to put traffic signals at 20th Street South,” Bruce said, noting that the DOT will have the final say on this placement. “One of the things we’re trying to do along this corridor is to link all the traffic signals through town so they’re all on the same system.”
Trent said the DOT has reviewed locations where more right of way will need to be purchased for this project. Right of way is property acquired to build and maintain a road. The DOT also identified locations requiring an easement – where property outside right of way will be disturbed during construction or is needed for utilities and other purposes. If right of way or an easement are needed on a property, the DOT will work with property owners. Bruce said the DOT will work with owners of 119 parcels ranging from about 20 square feet on some parcels to three full-property purchases. A public information meeting with DOT and City staff will be held in mid-August, focused on helping property owners understand the DOT’s process for purchasing right of way and easements.
“There is a 6-9 month process the DOT goes through,” Bruce said, noting that the City has been in contact with property owners via public information open houses, conversations, and letters. “We’ll be involved in the conversations, but this is a DOT-led process.”
Along with the right of way process, the City’s next step is the final design process, which includes streetscape for the project, accesses, and some intersection details, to be complete by July 2022.
“There is a lot of detail with the streetscaping portion – we started with a high-level view of everything and we’re going to take a closer look at those different pieces and costs and what the DOT allows and start plugging those in along the corridor,” City Manager Scott Wynja said.
