Iowa Transportation Commission moves on 4-laning U.S. 20

By Douglas Burns 10/16/08 4:16 PM

Some more progress was made this week on one of the more significant economic development initiatives in western Iowa as state transportation commissioners approved funds for four-laning more of U.S. 20 by 2013.

Here is The Sioux City Journal:

The Iowa Transportation Commission on Tuesday committed to widening half the mileage of U.S. Highway 20 with two lanes to four lanes by 2013.

The eastern Iowa two-thirds of the highway across Iowa was widened to four lanes many years ago, but the western portion has been delayed, leaving 86 miles with two lanes from Moorland to Moville.

Commissioners at the Muscatine meeting approved another 12 miles for four-laning Highway 20, from two miles east of Sac City at County Road N14 to U.S. Highway 71 at Early. The estimated cost is $48 million.

What's next?

Peggy2

From www.4lane20.com:

King Secures Additional Funding for Highway 20 Expansion
U.S.Congressman Steve King announced $500,000 in federal funds secured for the four-lane U.S.Highway 20 expansion as part of H.R. 2764, Con-solidated Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2008. "Turning Highway 20 into a continuous four-lane road is my top transportation priority in Congress. I am thankful that $500,000 will be added to the millions already invested in Highway 20 by the federal government," King said.Seventy-four percent of the traffic in Iowa runs east and west with no four-lane highway transvers-ing Northwest Iowa. In order to attract residents and businesses, improving access to the national transportation system in rural areas is essential. The current void means Northwestern Iowa espe-cially lacks critical access to major markets and is unable to meet a growing demand to implement just-in-time systems for inventory management, making our highways more efficient enables busi-nesses to compete. Since his swearing-in as a Member of the United States Congress in 2003, King has worked to se-cure a total of $47 million in federal funding au-thorizations to complete Highway 20. "This 'Midwest Connector' is vital to the economic development of the entire region. I am fully com-mitted to finishing the four-laning of Highway 20until the last ribbon is cut," King added.After House passage, the bill must be signed into law by the President.

LyndaWaddington

I'd like to see the traffic studies comparing that portion of Hwy 20 to the portion of Hwy 30 between Benton County and Tama County. Having driven both, I think the path along 30 is much more heavily traveled and, thus, much more deserving of expansion.

The 4-lane portion of 20 west of the Waterloo area to I-35 seems deserted whenever I drive it. Of course, this is not the part of 20 that is set for expansion, and maybe there will be a traffic increase in that area once the road goes all the way through.

My argument is that Hwy 30, where it reduces to 2-lanes, is already a traffic nightmare. There have been so many accidents along that route due to the hilly landscape, semi-truck traffic, farm equipment and general traffic increases. I'd like the Transportation Commission to explain their decision with supporting data. While I appreciate the good Iowans who have lobbied for the expansion of 20, I think taxpayers deserve to know the decision was based on traffic and other hard data and not based solely on oiling the squeaking wheel.