Le Mars council discusses Highway 75 reconstruction study, approves Plywood Trail addendum and schedules multiple public hearings

Le Mars — The Le Mars City Council on April 20 discussed options for reconstructing Business Highway 75, approved an addendum to a construction-services agreement for the Plywood Trail Phase 1B, adopted a final plat for Dogwood Fifth Addition and set several public hearings for May 20, 2025.

Council members spent most of the meeting on Business Highway 75, a 2017 overlay project that has shown recurring failures. City officials said the original 4-inch Portland cement concrete overlay cost about $1,793,671 and that the city has spent roughly $635,000 on repairs over the past six years. Administration recommended the council authorize staff to engage an engineering firm to design a full reconstruction of the corridor from Plymouth Street to Eighteenth Street SW, with later council approval required to proceed with construction and bonding. The council discussion included possible options such as a full rebuild, reduced lane configurations and incorporating previous corridor studies; the council did not reach a recorded final vote on funding or authorization to proceed with construction during the portion of the transcript provided.

The council approved an addendum to the construction-services agreement with McClure Engineering for Plywood Trail Phase 1B. The addendum updates the original 05/02/2023 contract to cover work beyond the original limits after the project exceeded contractual completion by 43.5…