Iowa DOT News

AMES, Iowa – April 26, 2018 – The Iowa Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing Tuesday, May 8, between 5 and 7 p.m. at the Charles Briggs Civic Center, 317 N. Water St., in Wapello. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed improvements of U.S. 61 in Louisa County from 0.5 mile north of Iowa 78 to north of 130^th Street and to gather public feedback on the environmental documentation, preferred alternative, and potential impacts related to the planned highway improvements. The environmental assessment is now available to review at the Keck Memorial Library, 119 N. Second St., in Wapello, and will be available for review during the public hearing.

The public hearing will be conducted using a combined open forum and formal format.

During the open forum, from 5 to 5:45 p.m., Iowa DOT staff will be present to informally discuss the project. After the open forum, a formal presentation will be displayed beginning at 5:45 p.m. and followed by a question-and-answer session.

Persons wishing to make a formal statement or ask questions will need to note that at the time of registration. There will be a three-minute limit per speaker during the question-and-answer session. Oral and written statements will be accepted during both the open forum and the formal session.

The U.S. 61 boat access to the Iowa River, located north of the city of Wapello, is a Section 4(f) resource and due to reduced access during construction, the proposed project is expected to have a temporary impact on the resource. This facility is owned and operated by the Louisa County Conservation Board and consists of a small parking lot for access to fishing along the Iowa River.

Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 was enacted as a means of protecting publicly owned parks, recreation areas, and wildlife/waterfowl refuges, as well as historic sites of local, state, or national significance from conversion to transportation uses. Temporary Occupancy of Section 4(f) property need to satisfy the following conditions.

• The impact duration must be temporary.
• Scope of work must be minor.
• The work will not have anticipated permanent adverse physical impacts
• The land being used must be fully restored.

The meeting space is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you require special accommodations at the meeting, please notify the Iowa DOT contact listed below by Friday, May 4, 2018.

For general information regarding the proposed improvements or public hearing, contact Hector Torres-Cacho, transportation planner, Iowa DOT District 5 Office, 307 W. Briggs, P.O. Box 587, Fairfield, Iowa 52556, phone 641-472-4171 or 800-766-4368, email [email protected].

Visit the Iowa DOT’s project-related public involvement event website at www.iowadot.gov/pim for information about scheduled public meetings and hearings, and opportunities to offer input to the Iowa DOT during the development of certain projects. Comments and questions concerning the proposed project should be received by June 8, 2018, and can be submitted online at  https://bit.ly/Iowadot96381081 or sent to Hector Torres-Cacho.

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Federal and state laws prohibit employment and/or public accommodation discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran’s status. If you believe you have been discriminated against, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission at 800-457-4416 or Iowa Department of Transportation’s affirmative action officer. If you need accommodations because of a disability to access the Iowa Department of Transportation’s services, contact the agency’s affirmative action officer at 800-262-0003.