Highway 30 could see four lanes soon

By KEN BLACK, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
The four-laning of an eight-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 30 between Marshalltown and State Center has still not made the state’s five-year plan for road construction, but may be included very soon.

Jon Ranney, the director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Office of Program Management, could not give any specific time frames but confirmed the project is on the radar screen.

“It could be a priority in an upcoming funding cycle,” he said.

Still in the plan is the four-laning of Highway 30 between Colo and State Center. That project could begin construction within the next year.

One strong advocate for the completion of the Marshalltown to State Center stretch of roadway is Wayne Sawtelle, a Marshalltown resident who serves as commissioner on the DOT board. He pointed to a new source of revenue created by the state during this last legislative cycle as an opportunity to complete the stretch.

Once finished, a four-lane highway will stretch from the Meskwaki Settlement past Marshalltown and all the way to Boone.

“I’m confident the State Center to Highway 330 stretch will be one of the top one or two priorities to use with the Time 21 revenue,” Sawtelle said.

That revenue is coming from changes made in Iowa Code that will bring more money into the system for road construction and repair. A main component of the Time 21 program is increased registration fees for new vehicles purchased after July 1.

While Ranney said he could not give a definitive answer on when the State Center to Marshalltown project would be planned, Sawtelle believes it will be soon.

“I’m guessing probably by the end of the year for sure, but hopefully within the next two or three months,” he said.

———

Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com