The Sioux Center City Council approved the low bid for the remaining 1.8 miles of Highway 75 reconstruction in Sioux Center. The $29.2 million low bid on Phase 2 construction came from the lead contractor on the Phase 1 Highway 75 work, Godbersen-Smith Construction, of Ida Grove.
This bid includes reconstruction of Highway 75 from 13th St. South to 12th St. North in an enhanced 4-lane design focused on safety, function, and showcasing Sioux Center’s character. This work will take place in three years, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to fix a lot of things. It’s a multi-generational investment, and it takes tons and tons of cooperation that leads to that kind of progress,” said Mayor David Krahling.
The cost of this shared state/local project will be split with about $18.9 million being paid by the Iowa Department of Transportation and about $10.3 million being paid by the City of Sioux Center, which is also paying for engineering.
“Having the kind of influence we wanted to have on creating our ‘front porch’- if you want to call it that - with this project mattered, and it will have an impact for generations to come,” Krahling said.
City Finance Director Darryl Ten Pas outlined the city’s proposed plan for financing the project, including road use tax, federal grants, TIF bonding, local option sales tax funds, and water and sewer funds for utility improvements. Utilities Manager Murray Hulstein noted that Phase 2 will also require a significant amount of utility staff time as the project impacts many water and sanitary sewer services.
It’s amazing to me that we’re talking about paying for some of this over 3 years and some over 10 years,” Krahling said. “This is a 50-year project.”
Part of securing favorable bids was allowing the construction to take place in three years instead of two, City Manager Scott Wynja said. The schedule of work for 2024-2026 has yet to be finalized.
The Highway 75 redesign is a 2.5-mile project to replace aging pavement and rebuild the highway in a safety-based design with two lanes of travel in each direction and center turn lanes and medians. This is a shared project between the DOT and the City of Sioux Center.