Le Mars Daily Sentinel: Local News: Transfer expected in 2007 (11/14/03)

The City of Le Mars will take over responsibility for 1.89 miles of U.S. Highway 75 within city limits after the new Iowa Highway 60 bypass is completed and in use.

The Le Mars city council on Thursday approved a transfer of jurisdiction agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). A similar agreement between Plymouth County and the IDOT for portions of U.S. Highway 75 within the county was approved by supervisors on Monday. (See separate story.)

Features of the agreement between Le Mars and the IDOT include the following:

*	Portion of the road covered by the agreement is existing U.S. 75 from the city's south corporate limit at 18th Street extending northeast to the junction with Iowa Highway 3/Plymouth Street. That portion of existing Highway 75 will become part of the municipal street system. The original transfer proposal involved 2.53 miles and two bridges of U.S. Highway 75 within the Le Mars city limits.
*	The state at its cost will reconstruct existing U.S. Highway 75 as a 48-foot wide four-lane undivided rural type roadway with 10-foot wide shoulders from the city's south corporate limits northeast approximately 690 feet (to approximately the airport road). The work will be done as part of the bypass project.
*	The state will pay the city a lump sum of $110,000 for spot milling of four inches and spot hot mix asphalt resurfacing of four inches for a combined repair area of about 6,000 feet in length by 12 feet in width within the urban type section of the transfer.
*	The state with either pay the city a lump sum of $10,000 for a joint/crack and seal of the existing urban four-lane asphalt or do the repair project at the state's cost prior to the transfer. The choice is up to the state.
*	The weigh station operated by the IDOT's motor vehicle enforcement division will be permanently closed when the bypass is completed. If the site requires large repairs prior to the bypass opening, the motor vehicle division will determine if repairs will be done or if the station will be closed earlier than anticipated.

When all provisions of the agreement are accomplished and the bypass is in use, the city will receive a 30-day notice that the transfer of jurisdiction of the 1.89 miles within city limits will take place. That is anticipated in 2007.

Rich Michaelis, IDOT district engineer, was present for Thursday's council meeting to answer questions. He said there were two reasons for the IDOT to reconsider transfer of jurisdiction of the portion of Highway 75 from Highway 3 north to the north corporate limits. He said the state concluded after further review that the portion was needed to maintain optimum continuity of Highway 75 to the Minnesota state border. Also considered were the five legs of primary highways that are within city limits and the amount of traffic handled by those highways.

"The statewide premise is to avoid duplicate mileage (maintained by the state) but we also look at the appropriateness of the transfer. When you consider continuity (of Highway 75) to the Minnesota state line and the overall operational aspect, that little piece from Highway 3 north (within city limits) is an important part of that." Michaelis said "grass roots examples" of use of that portion of the highway by travelers "drove the message home to us."

"We concur that it is appropriate for that section to remain under state jurisdiction," he said. It will no longer be numbered as U.S. Highway 75 but there will be adequate destination signage in place when the bypass opens and changes become official.

Scott Langel, city administrator/engineer, provided written reports on an Oct. 29 field visit by a consultant from DeWild Grant Reckert and Associates Company (DGR) of Sioux City. Taking part in the walking review along both sides of U.S. Highway 75 from the Floyd River bridges to near the south corporate limits were Langel, Brian Mastbergen of DGR, and Gary Cook of city staff.

"We were pleased as we walked that entire stretch," Langel said, "and feel (IDOT officials) did a good job of reviewing and putting numbers to what needs to be done." He said a couple of additional small items were found but have since been addressed by the IDOT. The IDOT estimate for needed repairs was $104,485.30 while the DGR estimate was $118,486.56.

Langel and council members expressed satisfaction with the final transfer document. "This is a good example of working together by the city, county and state," said Mayor Virgil Van Beek.