PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Meskwaki Nation applied for and received a grant through the federal Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. This grant is associated with analyzing the intersection of US 30 and F Avenue, improving pedestrian connectivity, and evaluating the corridor for safety improvements. The scope of the grant includes developing options at the intersection, traffic study, environmental reviews associated with the National Environmental Policy Act (aka “NEPA”), and preliminary design. The environmental reviews and preliminary design will commence once the Publicly Preferred Technically Feasible Option is selected. The NEPA project development and documentation process will follow Federal Highway Administration and Iowa DOT policies and procedures, and will be coordinated with those agencies.
PROJECT GOALS
Proposed transportation options along the US 30 corridor between the Meskwaki Travel Plaza access and F Avenue in Tama County, Iowa aim to improve regional traffic throughput and local access to adjacent properties within the Study Area. The goals of this proposed project, as acknowledged by the Study Team and in previous traffic studies of the corridor, included:
- Improving the US 30 corridor’s ability to safely accommodate existing and projected traffic growth within the Study Area.
- Improving the quality of life for area residents by providing grade separated cross highway accommodation for pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Enhancing drivers’ expectations by improving the access control within the corridor’s Study Area.
PROJECT PURPOSE
The purpose of the US 30 & F Avenue project is to identify and evaluate transportation options that improve the US 30 corridor from the access into the Meskwaki Travel Plaza through the intersection with F Avenue in Tama County, Iowa. Analysis of existing and future forecasted traffic, safety, and access locations reveal that the US 30 corridor in the vicinity of F Avenue in Tama County had several unmet transportation-related needs to be addressed to develop a project that would satisfy the project purpose; to provide safe and efficient transportation facilities for users of the US 30 corridor.