Engineer urges DOT to study Highway 63 / C‑57 intersection regionally after public hearing

Cathy Nicholas, the county engineer, updated supervisors on a recent Iowa DOT public meeting about the Highway 63 / C‑57 intersection. She said the consultant presented about 10 options but focused the public meeting on two primary choices: a reduced‑conflict intersection (J‑turn) and a full interchange that would likely require property buyouts.

“This option would cost approximately $3,900,000 is what the Iowa DOT is saying, and they could have this completed by the year 2028,” Nicholas told the board. She contrasted that with a full interchange that DOT projected could cost about $29,000,000 and take up to a decade to complete.

Nicholas urged the DOT to look at the intersection from a regional perspective, citing the county's decade-long Northeast Industrial Bypass study and freight needs along the Highway 63 corridor. Supervisors raised concerns about how the J‑turn would affect truck and farm equipment movements and noted many rural residents at the DOT hearing preferred waiting for a full interchange rather than adopting an RCI in the near term.

Board members discussed whether the county should submit a formal resolution during DOT's comment period; Nicholas said she would check with DOT about the timeline and the board asked staff to prepare possible language for next week’s meeting so that county comment could be coordinated with the DOT comment window.