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Home My WebLink AboutMeetingHandoutIowa City Gateway Dubuque Street elevation and Park Road Bridge replacement project Iowa City Gateway Dubuque Street serves as Iowa City’s main entrance and key gateway into the community for residents and visitors. It parallels the Iowa River, and carries more than 25,000 vehicles a day between Interstate 80, the downtown business district and the University of Iowa campus. Park Road Bridge also serves as a critical transportation link for Iowa City. Together, these corridors provide vital connections for the community’s safety, commerce, neighborhoods and recreation. And as many Iowa City residents and visitors know, closures of Dubuque Street due to ﬂ ooding can cause signiﬁ cant travel delays and inconveniences. Those closures also impact emergency routes and access to three area hospitals. The more common closures of Dubuque Street are due to either locally heavy rains or snow-melt. Historic ﬂ oods have also closed Dubuque Street and the Park Road Bridge. Long-term closures occurred during the ﬂ ood of 1993 when ﬂ oodwaters inundated Dubuque Street for 54 days. Flooding covered the street again for a month in 2008; that year Park Road Bridge was also over-topped and closed. To address these problems, work is beginning on the Iowa City Gateway project. The project will create a long-term solution to reduce ﬂ ood related impacts to the Dubuque Street and Park Road Bridge corridors. Creating a solutionCreating a solution This project is planned to:This project is planned to: • • Reduce closures of Dubuque Street and Park Road Bridge due to Reduce closures of Dubuque Street and Park Road Bridge due to (1) localized ﬂ ash ﬂ oods and (2) historic Iowa River ﬂ ood events(1) localized ﬂ ash ﬂ oods and (2) historic Iowa River ﬂ ood events • • Minimize upstream ﬂ ood backwater caused by the existing Park Minimize upstream ﬂ ood backwater caused by the existing Park Road BridgeRoad Bridge • • Better serve transit, pedestrians and bicyclistsBetter serve transit, pedestrians and bicyclists • • Preserve and enhance the natural entry to Iowa City from I-80Preserve and enhance the natural entry to Iowa City from I-80 Iowa City Gateway Study Area, highlighted in green March 2011 Phase 1 Schedule Work slated for 2011 focuses on the completion of the NEPA process. That entails data collection, development of alternatives and evaluation of their impacts. The NEPA process will conclude with a recommendation for improvements and federal approval. There will be multiple opportunities for public input and participation during this phase. Iowa City Gateway Schedule Improvements will be planned and constructed in three phases: Phase 1 - Plan The federally required planning process, called the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is expected to be completed in mid 2012. Phase 2 - Design After the NEPA process is completed and approved, ﬁ nal design work will begin. Detailed design and engineering will take approximately 18 to 20 months. Phase 3 - Build Construction could begin as early as the spring of 2014. At this time, the team estimates that work will take approximately two construction seasons. Iowa City and its partners continue to work with elected ofﬁ cials to identify additional funding to offset construction costs. It is the city’s goal to complete construction prior to the opening of the new Hancher Auditorium in the fall of 2015. Data Collection Purpose and Need Development Initial Alternatives Development Public Meeting 1 Reasonable Alternatives Identified Reasonable Alternatives Evaluated Public Meeting 2 Preferred Alternative Identified NEPA Document Prepared NEPA Document Federal Review Public Meeting 3 Comments Addressed NEPA Document Finalized Anticipated Federal Approval Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Preliminary Phase 1 Schedule Q1 Q2 2011 2012 2011 2012 2014 20152013 Overall Project Schedule Phase 1 - NEPA Study Phase 2 - Design Phase 3 - Construction Projected Construction Start Draft Project Purpose and Need The project’s formal Purpose and Need is a critical component of the NEPA planning process. It not only guides what the project should do, it deﬁ nes the key criteria by which options are evaluated. The draft Iowa City Gateway Purpose and Need is: Draft Project Purpose: Provide a reliable multimodal transportation corridor that reduces the impact of ﬂ ooding on the local transportation system and the Iowa River corridor Draft Project Need: Maximize the reliability of the Dubuque Street corridor Maximize the reliability of the Park Road Bridge and corridor Minimize upstream ﬂ ood backwater caused by the existing Park Road Bridge Your thoughts on the Purpose and Need can be submitted to the team via a comment form, a statement to a team member or online at the project web site: www.iowacitygateway.org. Community input Your input is very important to the process. During Phase 1, the City and its partners will set the course for future improvements. Your input will help the team: • Identify community priorities for the types of improvements made in the corridor • Identify resources that need to be considered in the design of improvements, including: • Historic or archeological sites • Environmental considerations • Cultural and recreational uses • Identify transportation priorities in the corridor • Evaluate the impacts of the reasonable alternatives • Identify a preferred alternative Additional public meetings will be held to discuss reasonable alternatives and the preferred alternative. In addition to public meetings, the Iowa City Gateway project will offer a range of opportunities for the community to weigh in, including presentations to community groups, meetings with neighborhoods, property owners and stakeholders and the opportunity to participate in online surveys. The project web site (www.iowacitygateway.org) will also be updated regularly with new project information. The Iowa City Gateway Project is led by Iowa City in coordination with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration and in cooperation with the University of Iowa. More information about Iowa City Gateway can be found at: iowacitygateway.org or by phoning 319-356-5140. Nearby projects: The development of complex projects always requires consideration of other planned public investments. The Iowa City Gateway team will be working to ensure that improvements work in concert with the following activities being undertaken: University of Iowa: • Hancher Auditorium Replacement • Mayﬂ ower Flood Mitigation Project Iowa City: • Iowa River Corridor Trail Pedestrian Bridge over I-80 • Taft Speedway Levee Project Iowa DOT: • I-80/Dubuque Street Interchange The Planning Process Phase 1 of the Iowa City Gateway project will be completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning process. NEPA is required for projects that will seek federal funds and/or federal permits. Beyond legal requirements, however, the NEPA process helps governmental agencies and local communities make well-informed decisions about future projects. Additionally, the process gives the community (1) access to information used by agencies in selecting a preferred alternative and (2) a chance to have input into those public decisions. We need your input on the types of improvements you’d like to see. We also would like you to share your knowledge of the area - its history, the needs of the community and your thoughts on its future. 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