IOWA HIGHWAY 57 / WEST 1 ST STREET STUDY PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETING APRIL 22, 2014 INTRODUCTION The City of Cedar Falls and the Iowa Department of Transportation are conducting a Public Informational Meeting to discuss the status of the IA 57 / West 1 st Street Study and to present the initial alternatives for improvements that are being considered. The study corridor extends from Hudson Road to Franklin Street in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This public meeting is intended to provide the public an opportunity to give their input regarding the potential roadway improvement. A citizen comment form is provided and can either be turned in at this meeting or mailed to the City Planner s office. It is requested that all written or e-mailed comments be submitted by May 21, 2014. Additional public informational meetings will be held during the course of the environmental documentation and preliminary design processes. More information will be posted as it becomes available at the City of Cedar Falls website: www.cedarfalls.com. CURRENT STATUS OF PROJECT The project is currently in the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Assessment phase. During this phase of the project, the following activities are being completed: Topographic and Boundary surveys Environmental Studies including Cultural Resources survey, Architectural / Historical survey, and Wetland Delineation Traffic volumes (present and future projections) are being analyzed Businesses are being contacted for input
Land use assessment along the corridor and future land use concept development Access to individual properties, side roads, and alleys is being evaluated Preparing roadway alternatives and evaluating the impacts associated with each alternative Accommodation of pedestrians is being evaluated Subsurface soils investigation and Geotechnical Report will be performed A condition survey of the sanitary and storm sewer systems Preliminary design of the preferred alternative Details of the project will be discussed at tonight s meeting, or can be reviewed at any time by contacting the City Planner s office. Additional information can be found at the City s website at www.cedarfalls.com. PURPOSE AND NEED OF PROJECT The purpose of this project is to upgrade and modernize IA 57 / West 1 st Street between the Hudson Road intersection and the Center Street / Franklin Street intersection in Cedar Falls in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Improvements along IA 57 / West 1 st Street are needed for several reasons: Improve the roadway pavement condition A Pavement Sufficiency Study will be completed. Visual inspections indicate the pavement is at the end of its usable life. Provide pedestrian access and mobility throughout the project limits The corridor has intermittent and discontinuous sidewalks and crosswalks are not present or are not consistently demarcated at the majority of the intersections along the corridor. Additionally, most of the intersections do not meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance requirements. Improve traffic flow During the morning and afternoon peak periods, finding reasonable gaps in the traffic flow to allow for safe vehicular crossing is difficult.
Reduce conflicts between through traffic and transit bus stops Transit buses currently stop in the outside through lane, impeding traffic flow and increasing the likelihood for crashes. Improve access management there are 49 private drives to/from commercial and residential properties and 24 alley and public street intersections. The present number of accesses is over twice the maximum recommended, if the corridor were being planned and/or built today. Additionally, access locations along the south side of the corridor do not line up across from access locations along the north side of the corridor. Update and improve utility accommodations within the project limits No gutter width exists currently, resulting in storm water surface flow spreading well into one or more of the basic through lanes during rainfall storm events. Consistent with the City of Cedar Falls and Cedar Falls Utilities community-wide efforts, the overhead electric and other above ground utilities will be buried within the project limits. Support land use change and revitalization Over time the corridor has experience a series of development cycles, maturation of uses, and individual parcel redevelopment from residential to commercial use. This corridor serves 78 individual parcels abutting the corridor on the north and south sides, resulting in an average corridor frontage of 110 feet. As redevelopment and conversion of residential properties to commercial uses has occurred, adjacent parcels have been combined to provide adequate building and on-site parking. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT Following this public informational meeting, the project development will continue to complete the environmental compliance and determine the most desirable improvements along the IA 57 / West 1 st Street corridor. Some of the upcoming activities will include:
Input from the public information meeting will be reviewed to determine if additional alternatives should be considered or if previous alternatives should be modified. Input from the public informational meeting will be reviewed and information gathered will be incorporated into the environmental compliance process. The alternatives will be evaluated to determine the impacts and ability to accommodate future transportation needs. Both engineering and environmental impacts will be evaluated. Estimated costs for constructing the improvements will be developed. The Environmental Assessment will be prepared for the Federal Highway Administration s review and concurrence. A public hearing will be conducted to present the findings of the study. FONSI (Finding Of No Significant Impact) PROJECT SCHEDULE Following this public information meeting, the City and Iowa DOT will continue with the development of the project. The following schedule is anticipated at this time: Completion of Environmental Field Studies: Spring 2014 Finalize Alternatives to be Considered: Spring 2014 Evaluation of Alternatives and Environmental Impacts: Mid-2014 Determination of Final Alternatives: Mid-2014 Signed Environmental Assessment: Late 2014 Public Hearing: Late 2014 FONSI (Finding Of No Significant Impact): Early 2015 Final Design, Right-of-Way Acquisition and Construction: Schedule to be determined. Construction could begin in 2016 with utility relocations commencing in 2015. Please note all schedules are subject to change and construction schedules will depend on funding availability.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION If you have any comments on the proposed project or questions about its development, please make your comments known at this meeting or forward them on the attached Comment Form. Please return your comments by May 21, 2014. Thank you for your participation in this meeting.
IA 57 / West 1 st Street Study from Hudson Road to Franklin Street Public Informational Meeting Comment Sheet April 22, 2014 The purpose of this meeting is to provide comment on the potential roadway improvement. Note: Additional space for comments can be found on the reverse side. Name: Address Please check this box to request a written response to your comment. If returning comment sheet by mail, please mail to: If returning by email, please email to: City of Cedar Falls Department of Developmental Services David.Sturch@cedarfalls.com 220 Clay Street Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613 Attn: David Sturch The comment period closes on May 21, 2014.
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