Huxley officials ask Story County to consider paving final mile of 560th Street as DOT work looms

City of Huxley officials and several business owners asked the Story County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 to consider paving the final mile of 560th Street, south of Highway 210, to ease access during multiple upcoming Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) projects and to support local businesses that reported revenue losses when U.S. 69 was closed last summer.

The request was presented at the board’s regular meeting by Greg Mulder, city councilman, City of Huxley, and Laurie Etcher, city councilman, City of Huxley. Mulder said the city is one of the fastest‑growing communities in Story County and that DOT work on U.S. 69 and the Highway 210 interchange will reduce access from the south. “This is already a really busy interchange for our growing community,” Mulder said, adding that a nearby paving contractor and portable plant could make the job economical now.

Why it matters: Huxley officials and business owners say short‑term and multi‑year DOT construction on U.S. 69 and the 210 interchange has already cut customer traffic and that paving the one‑mile gravel section would give residents and visitors a safer, more reliable route into and out of the city while the larger DOT projects proceed.

Local business owners described lost sales after last summer’s closures. “If you notice on that chart, you’ll see a definitive line of where our business went down,” said Matt Pascia of Flight Bar and Grill, Huxley. He said closures in July reduced customer traffic and that smaller local businesses bore the financial burden. Susan France of Fence Line Brewery provided specific monthly comparisons, saying, “July alone had 11% decrease in sales,” and that July–December 2024 did not recover the earlier year‑over‑year growth the business had seen. Julie White, manager of Scooter’s Coffee in Huxley, said customer travel patterns changed after the closures and have not returned to previous levels: “If we don’t have the people coming through, we can’t provide … the income, the job opportunity to those folks in our community,” she said.

County staff described the technical and funding constraints. Darren (county engineer) told the board that a paving project must be budgeted in the county’s five‑year program and that a rural road must be brought up to current paving standards before work begins, including survey, design and right‑of‑way analysis. “In order to do a project like this, you have to have it budgeted in the 5 year program,” Darren said, adding that simply paving without meeting standards would create liability. He also said such a locally classified road would be paid with local dollars and typically would not qualify for federal or state aid.

Cost and timeline details discussed at the meeting: presenters estimated the base prep and paving cost at about $750,000 for the one‑mile section, but said additional engineering, ditching or right‑of‑way work would raise the total. City representatives said base prep could take about a week and the paving itself two days if the roadbed is prepared. City and county speakers said DOT work will affect regional traffic in stages: a bridge closure near the Elkhart interchange is expected this summer and DOT planning shows the 210/69 interchange project in a 2027 fiscal year window.

City officials and staff discussed potential funding partners and timing. Huxley leaders said the city would contribute and hoped to ask DOT to participate. David Hoglund, who works for the City of Huxley, suggested alternative local funding sources that the board could consider, including any remaining tax increment financing (TIF) proceeds or unspent federal ARPA allocations; a county supervisor clarified that ARPA funds had to be committed by December 2024 and therefore were unlikely to fill a new local request.

Board response and next steps: supervisors did not approve funding at the meeting. Board members said the request should be considered during the county’s upcoming five‑year program review and budget work sessions. One supervisor summarized the next step: the project needs to be evaluated for inclusion in the five‑year plan and for how it would be funded with limited local dollars. The county engineer and staff will include the request for discussion at the next five‑year program meeting; no formal appropriation or contract was approved at the Jan. 28 meeting.

Context: Speakers noted Huxley’s rapid growth and future development pressure at the south end of the city, including a nearby planned roundabout and new residential development. City and business speakers argued that improved access would support economic activity and job retention during the DOT construction schedule.

No formal motion to fund the paving was taken during the discussion. The county has not scheduled a bid or contract and stated that, if the project proceeds, it will require engineering, potential right‑of‑way work, and adherence to county paving standards before construction.