Iowa DOT Further Defines Potential 63 By-Pass

Mahaska County residents gathered at the Oskaloosa High School to discuss the future of a potential Highway 63 by-pass around the northwest corner of Oskaloosa.

Mahaska County residents gathered at the Oskaloosa High School to discuss the future of a potential Highway 63 by-pass around the northwest corner of Oskaloosa.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Transportation continues its evaluation of transportation needs in the county and along the Highway 63 corridor that traverses Mahaska County from the north to the south.

The by-pass would connect at a point north of Oskaloosa, potentially near the current waterworks facility. The other connection would be west-northwest of Oskaloosa along Highway 163.

The Iowa DOT recently held an informational meeting at the Oskaloosa High School December 16, 2014 from 5 to 7 p.m. to further define where a potential by-pass around Oskaloosa is being studied, based upon the need of the present road system.

U.S. 63 is the primary north-south travel route through Oskaloosa and varies between two, three and four travel lanes wide. The 2010 traffic volumes on existing U.S. 63 through Oskaloosa ranged from 4,500 to 7,700 vehicles per day (vpd) with 6 to 10% trucks. On existing U.S. 63 north of Oskaloosa, the volumes ranged from 2,800 to 4,500 vpd with 10 to 17% trucks. By 2040, the traffic volumes on these same segments are projected to increase to between 4,500 to 9,000 vpd with 8 to 13% trucks and 3,900 to 6,700 vpd with 12 to 20% trucks, respectively. The 2040 projections assume that the roadway characteristics remain the same as exists today.

Between 2003 and 2012, there were 459 crashes on the segment of U.S. 63 within the Oskaloosa city limits, which is approximately twice the statewide average for similar roadways. During the same period, there were 50 crashes on the rural two lane segment north of the Oskaloosa city limits which was below the statewide average.

The discussion about the future needs of Highway 63 has been forwarded by a coalition of communities along U.S. Highway 63 from Ottumwa to the Malcom area. Highway 63 north of Montezuma has already seen substantial improvements from the Iowa DOT. The by-pass could be the next phase in upgrades to the highway since its addition to the CIN [Commercial Industrial Network].

According to the DOT, the by-pass project is not currently included in the 2015-2019 Transpiration Improvement Program, and no construction schedule has been estimated.

If the current planning pace continues, it should be completed by the Fall of 2016. After that, the project could then be considered for future funding.

This would require local jurisdictions, such as the City of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County, to take ownership of the portions of Highway 63 that will be by-passed.

Andrew Jensen, MCDG Director, spoke about the potential impact on business and industry. “Business and Industry is demanding, is needing this by-pass. I think it will do a lot of good for the long-term economic future growth prospects for Mahaska County.”

“I think this meeting, taking the next step forward, is a good sign,” said Jensen.

Jensen said that the project is certainly in the DOT’s hands, but he’s been encouraged by their willingness to listen to landowners and civic leaders alike during this process.

 

Posted by on Dec 19 2014. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

1 Comment for “Iowa DOT Further Defines Potential 63 By-Pass”

  1. […] week the DOT showed off its proposals for a western bypass of Oskaloosa for US 63. There are four permutations, based on the locations of […]

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