CEDAR FALLS — Millions of dollars in street improvements were completed in the last year, and more will get underway in 2024.
No project was more impactful than the reconstruction of stretches of Main Street between Sixth Street and University Avenue, part of a major transformation of the thoroughfare.
That work will resume soon.
“We had a pretty busy construction season last year,” said City Engineer David Wicke. “We had a lot of projects going on. I think one of the things that made it appear busier was a lot of DOT work going on around us. That just compounded it all, and we were probably a little bit busier than we have been in the past, but that’s not a bad thing.”
Work got underway on the reconstruction of an area referred to as North Cedar Heights to address roadway and sewer infrastructure concerns, with one additional phase near approval and more to come.
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Many major road and infrastructure projects were essentially completed, marked by the reopening, or one case the inaugural opening, of the streets.
North Cedar saw Center Street improvements between Lone Tree Road and Clair Street. The western part of town in front of the future high school on West 27th Street saw change around Greenhill Road, including three roundabouts, and an extension of Ashworth Drive connecting the Hudson Road and Kara Drive intersections.
Another major undertaking was the replacement of the box culvert off Olive Street, and extending it to a bridge being swapped out and allowing for the expansion of Pettersen Plaza from College Street.
Those projects were all in addition to major Department of Transportation projects in the area. Workers reconstructed ramps connecting Highways 218, 57 and 58 and embarked on the first of two major phases of reconstruction around the Highway 58 and Ridgeway Avenue intersection.
“It takes a lot of coordination and communication with the consultant, contractor and adjacent property owners and residents. That’s what helps make these projects successful,” said Wicke.
Main Street
Major work began last year and began again in March at the 12th Street intersection, where one of three new roundabouts will be constructed.
Equipment will be seen at points during this second year of construction between Ninth and 18th streets, another stretch of road going from four lanes (two lanes in each direction) to three (one lane in each direction with a center turn lane).
All those stretches will “more or less” see complete closures.
“When that gets completed, that whole corridor is going to function a whole lot different than how it did previously. I’m excited to see firsthand how the corridor functions,” said Wicke. “We’re adding three roundabouts. The road diet will go from four lanes to three lanes and there will be the addition of the bike lanes. It’ll be interesting to see traffic flow when it’s all said and done.”
The second year of construction will wrap up around Thanksgiving. A significant component of the work is replacement of decades-old utilities, sanitary sewer, water main and storm sewer infrastructure under the roadway.
“Expect the same type of closures and detour routes as last year – just in a different section of the corridor,” said Wicke. “One of the first things they’ll do is set up their detour route to get around 12th.”
Additionally, work will continue on the Seerley Boulevard roundabout on aspects like the truck apron, interior landscaping and monument feature. The shell has been constructed but will require some closure at times.
The Main Street project will extend into the 2025 construction season. During that time, work will happen at the 18th Street intersection, where another roundabout is being constructed, as well as other work like landscaping and restoration.
North Cedar Heights
Several dozen homes will be impacted over the next five years as part of plans for the area north of Grand Boulevard and west of the Hartman Reserve.
Work will begin again in the spring, pending final approval, for Timber Drive from Grand Avenue to Greenwood Avenue; East Ridgewood Drive from Greenwood Avenue to Cherry Lane; and Woodland Drive to East Ridgewood Avenue.
In addition to new asphalt, the area will see infrastructure like storm and sanitary sewer and water mains and gutters replaced.
“The roads are being widened out in certain sections of the road, adding curb and gutter to allow for surface drainage of stormwater to get off the road and into a storm sewer system,” said Wicke.
“The main benefit is the new roadways surface,” he added, “it’s getting widened out” making trash collection and snow removal easier, “and the whole area will look a lot better aesthetically. If you had a chance to drive up there, you can get an idea from just the first portion they did last summer.”
The most recent phase saw work on West Ridgewood Drive from Greenwood Avenue to Cherry Lane as well as a part of Greenwood Avenue.
58/Ridgeway
Work began last year on the roads and U.S. Highway 20 ramps south of the Iowa Highway 58 and Ridgeway Avenue intersection.
The attention will turn this March toward the intersection itself, north to the reconstructed Viking Road interchange, and Ridgeway Avenue between and at the Nordic Drive and Ace Place intersections.
“There will be lane closures and traffic will be shifted from one side to the other, but the intersection will remain open,” said Pete Hjelmstad, field services coordinator for the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 2 Office.
Widening of the intersection will allow for dual left turn lanes to be added at all four legs. Right now, they’re single turn lanes.
There will be a period where southbound traffic will be closed on Nordic Drive outside the Kwik Star. The trail on Ridgeway will close for a bulk of the project, too.
Additionally, the new pavement will be accompanied by other infrastructure work like the replacement of the box culvert west of the highway and underneath Ridgeway Avenue.
There will be an additional westbound left turn lane added on Ridgeway Avenue for southbound traffic into Fleet Farm, making it a dual left turn lane.
“We want to remind people with the lane closure, there could be traffic backups and delays. If it’s going to get to that point where you’re traveling through there during the rush hours, and you got an alternate route in mind, it might not be a bad idea to take that,” added Hjelmstad.
Cedar River
There also has been work to bring recreational amenities to the Cedar River between the First and Main streets bridge.
Construction started in the river during the winter, as water levels were ideal, and will continue for most of this year, mostly along the bank.
The result will be a whitewater course for kayaking and other water activities. In-river work on the Gateway Park side mostly has been completed and has shifted to the downtown side.
In addition to engineering and creating the wave rapids in the middle of the river, Wicke said, “you have to have some sort of structure in place to get down to the river.”
“That’s what some of the rock fill and boulder fill is,” he said. “The grouting is just to grout the rocks in place that are in the river. That way they are stabilized there and they are not going to float down the river.”
River work will likely wrap up by the spring. New trail, landscape, stone, and planting will then be the focus. That will last most of the construction season during which the South Riverside Trail will remain closed.
Wicke hopes work is done by October.
“It’ll look pretty nice as you’re up on the bank, out of river, walking along the trail and then there will be areas where you can just stop, rest and watch people if they’re in the river taking advantage of the recreation that’s created there,” said Wicke.
The “turtleback landing” area is designed to look like a turtle. It will be on the downstream end and help people reconnect with the waterway.
“When you get out of the river, turtleback landing structure will help you get up and out of the river and then hop back on the trail and then you can head back upstream if you want to come down again,” said Wicke.
Coverage of the building collapse at 324 Main Street in Davenport
Coverage from the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus of the partial building collapse at 324 Main Street in Davenport on Sunday, May 28.
Demolition of The Davenport apartment building is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning, Sarah Ott, Chief Strategy Officer for the City of Davenport, said in a news release Monday.
Rescuers are at the scene of a building collapse downtown Davenport.
Firefighters rescued Lisa Brooks out of a fourth-story window after more than a day since the Davenport apartment building partially collapsed.
The apartment building at 324 Main St. is in "imminent danger of collapse" city officials said late Monday night.
Live updates from the scene of Sunday's building collapse.
City officials say the apartments of the three missing individuals were in the collapsed zone of the building and had a "high probability of being home" at the time of the collapse.
Hear from Davenport aldermen.
About three months before the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport apartment building — and again just two days before — a masonry company owner said he predicted it was coming.
Jeffery Goodman is a structural collapse attorney, so Sunday's collapse in Davenport sparked his interest.
Elizabeth Pruitt lived at 324 Main Street in Davenport for less than 24 hours before it collapsed.
Justice Jacobs lost everything she owns when The Davenport apartments partially collapsed Sunday. Now she's telling her story.
Branden Colvin Sr.'s family was notified Saturday that his remains had been found at the building which collapsed a week ago.
Ben Blankenship was back home in Georgia when he heard his apartment building had collapse.
Spending most of the last week camped outside of Davenport City Hall with friends and family, Branden Colvin Jr. left 4th Street for another venue Saturday morning: His graduation ceremony
Former tenants of The Davenport and surrounding apartment buildings made their way to the Multi-Agency Resource Center Saturday to receive assistance from more than 20 agencies.
Project NOW, Quad Cities Open Network and more Illinois service organizations are working together to help those affected by the building collapse.
Crews began a certain level of demolition on part of The Davenport apartment building at 324 Main St. late Friday into early Saturday.
A 911 call was placed the day before the building collapsed Sunday.
Branden Colvin Jr. and his mother tried to reach Branden Colvin Sr. There has been no answer. They stared at the huge hole that used to be Colvin Sr.'s apartment.
Reports from the firm hired by Andrew Wold to evaluate his downtown apartment building have been made public by the city.
The City of Davenport announced it will offer aid to businesses impacted by the Sunday collapse of The Davenport.
Searchers are back on scene.
Rescue teams are preparing to re-enter the partially collapsed building.