Supervisors hear pitch for $50,000 corridor assessment to push Highway 61 improvements through Burlington

Des Moines County supervisors on Aug. 12 heard a request to consider contributing funds toward a consultant-led assessment to advance long-term improvements on the Highway 61 corridor through Burlington. The Highway 61 Coalition and the Burlington Chamber proposed a local assessment — described as a planning/assessment tool rather than a design package — to show the Iowa Department of Transportation and its commissioners concepts for improving the Roosevelt/Highway 61 corridor and pedestrian connections through the city.

County representative Brian Carter described the coalition’s history and said the consultant’s role would be to produce “some concepts,” coordinate business and public input and put a cohesive package before the DOT commission. Carter told the board the consultant work is “right around $50,000” and that local partners were discussing contributions including a possible Burlington commitment of $20,000, a Chamber contribution of $10,000, $10,000 from the Highway 61 Coalition and a request to Des Moines County for $5,000–$10,000.

Why it matters: Supervisors said the DOT commission tends to prioritize other regions and that a local, consolidated assessment could help keep Burlington’s corridor on the commission’s agenda. Carter said the intent is to ask the commission to “approach it on a big picture, not a patch it together kind of a thing,” and to provide options that would reduce the need for piecemeal fixes.

Board response and next steps: Supervisors indicated support for further discussion and asked staff to coordinate with Commissioner Shane (who was unavailable at the meeting) and other partners. No funding commitment was made at the meeting; supervisors asked for more information and agreed to place the topic on a future agenda when Commissioner Shane can participate. Carter said the study would include public outreach and recommended concepts that consider traffic flow, pedestrian safety and right-of-way implications.

Details and caveats: Carter emphasized the assessment is not design or construction funding and that any major improvements would still require DOT commission approval and multimillion-dollar project programming. He said the assessment would be a tool to demonstrate local buy-in and help the DOT prioritize work through Burlington rather than leaving a “sore, desperate spot” in the corridor when larger projects are constructed elsewhere.

If supervisors elect to participate, staff will return with specifics about the county contribution and timing. The coalition’s proposal is intended to be an advocacy tool to keep the corridor and pedestrian connections in front of the DOT commission as larger multimillion-dollar projects are considered.