March 19, 2024

More than $2.7 million in road projects underway in Newton

The City of Newton is making progress on several street repair projects with many more planned for the coming months. Most noticeable near downtown is the South Second Avenue reconstruction which is slightly more than half done, Public Works Director Keith Laube said.

“They are building curbs along the south side along the post office now. Then, they will come back and do curb and gutter on the north side,” Laube said. “When that is done, they will come in and mill and pave the entire street.”

When completed, the road will have a similar look to the reconstructed North Fourth Avenue, integrating the city’s downtown streetscape design plan. Additional changes including the street extending to 40 feet wide between West Third Street South and East Third Street South with parallel parking and new sidewalks.

Between East Third Street South and East Fourth Street South, the road will be extended to 30 feet wide with parallel parking on the north side. New pedestrian lights added from East Third Street South to West Third Street South.

TK Concrete of Pella was awarded the contract with the low bid of $1.18 million. The reconstruction is funded by the Downtown TIF District.

Also under construction is North Fourth Avenue West. Crews are currently putting in drain pipe that is located behind the curb.

The reconstruction consists of new concrete pavement from West Eighth Street North to West 15th Street North. The street will be 31 feet wide, six feet wider than the current roadway allowing space for parking on the south side of the street. Also, new sidewalks will be constructed on both sides of the street where concrete walks do not exist.

“They will do the paving in is phases so residents can have some access to their homes during the construction,” Laube said.

North Fourth Avenue West is a federal-aid classified road and received Surface Transportation Program funds from the Federal Highway Administration. The STP funds cover 80 percent of the $1.2 million price tag while the city will pay the final 20 percent, or $204,980. Funds from the 2015 pond proceeds will cover $170,000 of the costs while the remaining $34,900 will coming from the city road use tax fund.

Although not visible when driving through Newton, the paving of Lincoln Street near the Iowa Speedway will make a huge difference for those who travel in the area frequently during race weekends. The city found that the gravel road with borrow ditches posed a safety concern for fans to use it to walk to and from events at the speedway.

“We had to wait until the race season was over and then get it paved before fall is over,” Laube said. “It will be nice.”

City crews are also working on projects throughout the city. Currently, portions of East 17th Street South are being patched to make way for a diamond grind.

“Diamond grinding is when a contractor grinds off of the top quarter inch of roadway to make it smooth,” Laube said.

Laube said there has been several different patching projects that have left the road uneven and different colors. Through the diamond grinding, it will have an even surface with a uniform look.

Another project underway is the sanitary sewer extension on West Fourth Street North. More than half complete, the extension is bringing city sewer utilities to the area.

“It is on the west side of the roadway, so it isn’t causing too many problems with traffic,” Laube said. “That is extending the sanitary sewer so more homes can be served. Most of those homes were still on septic systems.”

Upcoming projects planned to start this fall include the North Newton Hike and Bike Trail project and the replacement of the South 12th Avenue West bridge.

The hike and bike trail will extend from the existing trail at North 11th Avenue East and East 12th Street North to Woodland Park. It will be an on-street, signed route because of space constrains and design criteria for a bike path crossing railroad tracks.

TK Concrete, Inc. of Pella was awarded the bid at $196,178. No start date has been set for construction.

In 2013, the city was awarded an Iowa Department of Transportation Highway Bridge Program grant in the amount of $200,000. The grant was awarded to be used for the South 12th Avenue West bridge west of Highway 14.

The project consists of removing the existing wood and steel bridge and replacing it with a twin box culvert. During construction, the road will be closed to traffic. A start date has not been set for construction.

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