w/ Ric Hanson
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Jim Field and Chris Parks have the call of the game played at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll.
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An open house will be held next Tuesday at the Mall of the Bluffs in Council Bluffs, to explain to the public what changes they can expect to see on the Council Bluffs interstate system. The Daily NonPareil reports by the end of this year, drivers will be able to take advantage of some of the improvements now under construction, including new flyover bridges at the Interstate 80-29 interchange near the Mid-American Center. The biggest change to the system will be on I-29/80 on the south side of Council Bluffs. That stretch of interstate will be rebuilt into a “dual divided freeway” to create new express lanes.
The Iowa Department of Transportation has signed off on $120 million in projects over the past five years in Council Bluffs. Now it hopes to spend that amount every year for the next decade to update the interstate system to accommodate growing traffic counts. The federal government will pay 85 percent of the costs, with the rest coming from the state. By speeding up the project, the DOT expects to save $33 million, mostly in inflation costs. The expedited timetable is pending approval from the Iowa Transportation Commission. If approved, planners expect to wrap up construction on most of the projects in 2020 or 2021, instead of 2024.
Some future work, such as the I-480/29 interchange and the I-80/U.S. Highway 6 interchange, has not yet been scheduled. With those projects included, the total price tag for the project is estimated at $2 billion.
The public open house on the project is set for Jan. 28th at the Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program Office at the Mall of the Bluffs. It will be held from 4-until 7-p.m. No formal presentations will be made. The public is invited to stop by anytime during the hours of the open house to look at the projects, information and timetable.
Hawkeye 10:
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A tractor-trailer parking lot on Commerce Street in Atlantic will remain closed, following a motion passed Tuesday night by the Community Protection Committee. The Committee, comprised of Councilpersons Bob Cord, Ashley Hayes, and Chris Jimerson, along with Mayor Dave Jones, met at City Hall to discuss the future of the site. City Administrator Doug Harris was also in attendance.
The committee concluded it would be better to have the lot utilized by the City and County governments until such time as the need for a City-owned truck parking lot is expressed more, by those it was originally intended to serve. Doug Harris agreed a cooperative agreement between the City and County would be in the best interest of both entities, if the County is willing to agree. Harris said the City should approach County Engineer Charles Marker and ask if they have a need for storage on the lot, or take a small portion of the lot and allow the metal recycling company next door to use some of the lot for expansion, with the provision some sort of a screen be put in place to shield it from view of the Schildberg Recreation Area.
Mayor Jones suggested that while the lot could be used for the storage of some City and County-owned equipment in the short-term, nothing permanent be established or installed. That would leave the option of using the area for truck parking again, if a need is demonstrated by those who might need it, in the future. The City wouldn’t charge the County for use of the land, if the government resources could be shared.
No one from the public objected to the Committees decision. The issue of truck parking arose several years ago when the City received complaints about semis parked on City streets. The City poured a concrete slab and allowed the trucks to temporarily park there, but the site soon became an eyesore, with trailers being left for long periods of time and the area becoming more like a junk yard. The City cleaned-up the site and then closed it off until a decision could be made on its future. Meanwhile, other, private entities have stepped-up and offered to rent lots for truck parking. The Mayor has said the City should not be in competition with those individuals if the need is being filled.
The tenth ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are on the road in Big Ten action to take on Michigan tonight (Wednesday). The Wolverines tumbled out of the top 25 with four non conference losses but they have raced out to a 5-0 start in the league race and much of the reason is the play of sophomore guard Nik Stauskas.Stauskas leads the Wolverines with 18 points per game and is shooting 44 percent from three point range.
Michigan coach John Beilein says the Wolverines have also adjust to the loss of sophomore center Mitch McGary. Iowa is 4-1 in the Big Ten and the Hawkeyes have won only two of the last 12 meetings in the series. Pre-game coverage begins at 5-p.m. here on KJAN.
(Learfield Sports)
The Freese-Notis weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, along with weather information for Atlantic from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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