Kristen, a staff member, told council members that the Aurora Avenue and 70th Street project was completed on schedule and aimed to improve multimodal access as part of the city’s Complete Streets network. The project included on-street bike lanes along the project limits, added center left-turn lanes in key spots, and added left-turn lanes approaching the Aurora–70th intersection. The project contractor was INROADS; the city inspector was Fred Soddy and the project manager was Eric Peterson. The construction cost was $555,000.

The city performed a mill-and-overlay on Aurora to improve pavement markings and pavement life; staff said that the segment had been last overlaid about 15 years earlier and that the new surface will improve longevity and clarity of lane markings. Kristen said the work included about 22 miles of pavement markings across roughly 3 miles of roadway limits and that the project finished about a week before the school year started.

Councilmembers and staff reported seeing immediate use of the new bike lanes, including students and people on scooters. One councilmember said she observed high-school students crossing outside the signalized crosswalk near Urbandale High School and raised pedestrian-safety concerns. Another councilmember noted social-media complaints focused on 70th Street, specifically parking loss and the configuration at the Aurora/70th intersection.

Kristen acknowledged the concerns and said operations at 70th and the adjacent intersections should be similar to prior configurations; staff will review the intersection with the design consultant (Snyder) to see if additional guidance or minor adjustments would improve driver and cyclist behavior. She said staff believes the new lane markings and lane configuration will better guide drivers and said they will continue to monitor the corridor and discuss operational adjustments as needed.

No formal council action was taken; staff said they will continue monitoring, coordinate with the design consultant, and communicate with residents when appropriate.