T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) District 1 Staff Engineer Benjamin Adey addresses the Marshalltown city council about the plans for the Highway 14 resurfacing project during Monday night’s meeting.

The condition of Highway 14 from the Center Street intersection all the way to the northern city limits has been a topic of much discussion and concern over the last several years, but drivers may finally be in for some relief as an engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) presented resurfacing plans for the road during Monday night’s Marshalltown city council meeting.

Public Works Director Heather Thomas referenced the fact that there have been “a lot of comments” about wanting to see something done on the road, and she noted that the council had commissioned a Highway 14 north corridor study back in 2018 before the tornado. At that time, the city applied for a federal grant toward a $28 million project, but the application was unsuccessful.

In 2023, Thomas approached the council about pursuing a smaller project, received approval and discussed a 3R project similar to the one completed on the southern half of Highway 14 with IDOT representatives. One aspect of the previous study was a four to three-lane conversion of the road and whether it made sense as part of the resurfacing project.

From there, she passed the microphone to Benjamin Adey, a District 1 staff engineer with the IDOT, who explained his own job duties and then noted that the project under consideration would focus on Highway 14 from Center to Anson Street and then north to Riverside Drive, overlaying the existing road with three inches of new asphalt in the summer of 2027 at a cost of $2.1 million while bringing all crossings up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

According to Adey, the project would entail a four to three-lane conversion on 3rd Avenue but not on Anson Street due to the raised medians. Lane reductions, he said, reduce the number of conflict points, and he consulted crash data as part of his research. From 2020 to 2024, there were 179 crashes between Anson Street and Riverside Drive — including four suspected serious injuries, 15 minor injuries, 30 possible, and 130 property damage only.

“That’s a lot of crashes,” he said.

Adey added that 87 percent of the 179 crashes were correctable by a four to three-lane conversion, which he noted didn’t automatically mean the rate would go down that dramatically. Some of the most common types are broadside right angle crashes, rear end crashes, side swipes and oncoming left turns.

Similar projects have been completed in several Iowa communities including nearby Tama-Toledo on Highway 63, and Adey said the average reduction in crashes is about 56 percent. As he opened up the floor to questions, Councilor Mark Mitchell asked about the resurfacing process, and Adey replied that it would include three inches of new asphalt over the current road — an inch and a half of intermediate asphalt and another inch and a half of surface asphalt on top of it.

Councilor Melisa Fonseca wondered about the lifespan of the new asphalt, which Adey said was between 15 and 20 years, and also asked what would happen to the width of the road itself if the lanes were reduced. He said the conversion would make the center lane 14 feet to go with two 12 foot thru lanes and then six feet on either side striped out as excess. Fonseca also asked about potential bike lanes, which Adey said would be a city responsibility.

Councilor Gary Thompson asked if the DOT was considering a speed limit reduction — they aren’t — and how long the project would take. Adey estimated three months in 2027 with at least one lane open at all times. Councilor Greg Nichols asked about potential storm sewer replacements, and Councilor Mike Ladehoff wondered if some of the areas that have “fallen in” would be dug up and re-laid. Adey said high priority areas are typically identified early in the process. Mayor Joel Greer noted a similar conversion in the Iowa Great Lakes region near his hometown of Spencer and said that, while initially controversial, it proved popular over time and reduced crashes.

Adey said the stretch of Highway 14 in question sees about 14,000 vehicles per day. During the public comment period, Rep. David Blom (R-Marshalltown) thanked the council for taking action on the road and said it was a frequent concern he heard while door knocking for his campaign. Council candidate Tim Bradbury asked how the project would affect the new north side McDonald’s development, if there would be more head-on collisions involving vehicles turning into residential streets and snow removal.

Thomas replied that there is currently no site plan review for McDonald’s, and she believed the conversion would actually make snow removal easier. Lonnie Hogeland predicted public backlash regarding the lane conversion but felt it could be “a great idea” once people have a chance to adjust to it, citing the fact that one of his drivers had clipped a utility pole on 3rd Avenue.

Before the council voted on the plan, Thomas said the conversion would keep more drivers off of storm intakes and presented several more items for consideration. Despite comments about potentially moving up the project from its current 2027 time slot, Thomas hoped that would not happen as the Center Street Viaduct project is slated for 2026 and she didn’t want both projects to be under construction at the same time.

City staff, Thomas said, are recommending removing the south boulevard on the west side at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Riverside Drive to make the two intersections line up and remove the traffic signal.

“What are you waiting for? Do it today. Barricade it now. There’s no reason to wait on that,” Thompson said.

Thomas felt she had consensus to move forward with that direction, and Ladehoff said the configuration of the intersection had to do with the end of the trolley tracks. Fonseca asked about the median replacements on Anson Street and also noted that roundabouts had been mentioned in one of Thomas’s reports.

She replied that the 2018 study had recommended a roundabout at Anson Street and 3rd Avenue, but Thomas was not recommending it because it would require the city to build it into the property that currently houses the adjacent Kwik Star convenience store. The DOT is exploring improvements to sidewalks that cross the highway, and the council gave approval on upgrading side street crossings and putting pedestrian countdown timers on traffic signals. Finally, she got the council’s permission to work with Foth Engineering to address storm sewer needs. Before the vote, Thompson made a pitch to Adey by noting that the city of Marshalltown is looking to hire a professional engineer.

A motion to approve the predesign agreement passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

In other business, the council:

• Approved the consent agenda as listed.

• Approved a Class E retail alcohol license for Mega Saver at 1701 Iowa Ave. E. (change of ownership from Yesway); a Class C retail alcohol license with outdoor service for Last Ride BBQ at 2013 S. Center St.; and a Class B retail alcohol license and retail tobacco permit for Brew #91 at 111 S. 3rd Ave. (change of ownership from Jiffy #922).

• Approved the purchase of 208 Leo St. from Agrigenetics Inc. DBA Mycogen Seeds for $25,000.

• Approved a resolution adopting the 2026-2028 city council goal setting report.

• Approved the Center Street Viaduct rehabilitation project with a tentative letting through the Iowa DOT on Jan. 21, 2026.

• Approved an amendment to the Urban Renewal Area No. 2 for the TIG expansion project.

• Approved the third and final reading of the rezoning of 212 E. State St. from Urban Core to Mixed Use Zoning for the new McDonald’s by a 6-1 vote with Fonseca opposed.

• Approved the third and final reading of an amendment to the code of ordinances establishing attendance requirements for the planning and zoning commission, board of adjustment and electrical appeal board.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.