The Webster County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved final plans and specifications for two previously authorized projects — including a roundabout south of the airport — and authorized a 28E agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation to administer federal funds for a Safe Streets for All project.

Jamie Joel, county engineer, told the board the two items on the agenda were final plan approvals prior to letting. He said the first project (project code C094142) is a roundabout located south of the airport and the second (project code C094144) is a Safe Streets for All grant project. Joel said the Safe Streets work is federally aided and requires DOT involvement for administration and that the 28E agreement allows the DOT to perform those tasks.

Why it matters: The items advance two road-safety and infrastructure projects that were previously approved and funded; construction will proceed through standard letting and contracting processes.

Board action and context
The board voted to accept the final plans and specifications for the projects and to approve the 28E agreement with the Iowa DOT. The engineer noted there were minor tweaks to the roundabout plans discussed previously in workshops. The Safe Streets project was described as grant-funded work that requires coordination with the DOT.

Additional details
Joel said the roundabout project is near the airport and that officials were coordinating with the Iowa Air National Guard regarding a display jet near the project site; insurance and paperwork were still being handled. No budget totals were discussed at the meeting; both projects had been authorized at prior meetings and this agenda item advanced them to the letting stage.

Next steps
With plans approved, the county will proceed to the bidding/letting process for construction and coordinate with the DOT on federal-aid administration under the 28E agreement.