Sioux Center, Iowa — Highway 75 through Sioux Center is going to be redone in the somewhat near future, in a way that officials hope will be the best of both worlds — the throughput of several years ago when the highway was 4-lane undivided through town, but a safety factor similar to or better than what it is now.
We got an update on the planning of what’s going to happen from Sioux Center Mayor David Krahling. He tells us the DOT is going to be in charge of property acquisition and the hiring of a contractor to do the roadway portion of the project, but the City of Sioux Center is handling the other aspects.
Krahling says that in the initial stages, several years ago, a bypass of Sioux Center was discussed, similar to bypasses of Le Mars, Alton, Sheldon, and so forth. But he says the DOT quickly determined that there is not enough traffic on that leg of Highway 75 to warrant a bypass of Sioux Center.
He tells us that making the highway corridor look nice also has another benefit.
He says that while they have hired DGR Engineering for some of the planning — the aesthetics are being developed by a firm called Confluence. Krahling tells us that some public meetings will soon be scheduled at which people can give their ideas for how the aesthetics should look.
Krahling says planning continues, with work hoped to begin in 2023 and wrap up in 2024.
He says the DOT will pay for the cost of the roadway through their revenue streams. Utility infrastructure and some of the aesthetic items will be paid for by the City.
