April 20, 2024

Strong turnout for Fourth Avenue open house

Reconstruction plans presented to public

By Jamee A

Citizens turn out to see what changes will be made to North Fourth Avenue West and had questions answered by local officials Tuesday at the Newton Public Works open house. The reconstruction project is planned for later this year (Jamee A)

A large crowd turned out Tuesday for the North Fourth Avenue West reconstruction open house at Newton Public Works. Preliminary design plans were laid out for the work planned from West Eighth Street North to West 15th Street North.

“We’re going to make it 31 feet wide so there will be a parking lane and two driving lanes. Basically, each curb will get bumped out three feet,” Newton Public Works Director Keith Laube said.

Currently, the road is 25 feet wide with no designated parking areas. The city allows parking on the south side of the road during the weekend, but Laube said that is not ideal.

During the reconstruction, drain tiles will be placed in the road to help drain the subgrade. Laube said in the current road, there are several bumpy areas where it had previously been back-filled with clay and sand which caused frost heaves. Those areas will be cut out to make the subgrade more uniform for a smoother street.

Bid through the Iowa Department of Transportation, Laube expects bids to open in June with the Newton City Council reviewing the reconstruction plans for approval in July.

“Likely this will be a late summer and fall project in 2016,” Laube said.

Once construction starts, homeowners on the road will have limited access to their driveways during certain periods of the project.

“When we pave it, it is going to be a concrete street. It takes several days for the concrete to harden so you can drive on it. They will have to park their vehicles on a side street, there is no way we can get around it,” Laube said.

He said the city will work with the residents who live on the road to make the process as smooth as possible.

After the road work is completed, crews will construct sidewalks on the north side of the street, where there is not currently a continuous stretch to walk on. The sidewalks will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For more information about the North Fourth Avenue West reconstruction, contact Public Works at 641-792-6622.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com