Area road gets new speed limit

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

One area quandary has been solved.

Motorists traveling on North Broadway/Iowa Avenue north of Winfield Avenue will now know the speed limit for a 1,700-foot stretch of roadway that previously was not posted.

Henry County supervisors, during their regular meeting Tuesday, approved a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit on the recommendation of Henry County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss.

The new speed limit means that the 25 mile-per-hour city speed limit will be effective until Winfield Avenue, then change to 45 miles-per-hour for 1,700 feet and 55 miles-per-hour after that until North Iowa intersects with U.S. Highway 218. For motorists traveling south on North Iowa, the speed limit scenario, naturally, will be in reverse.

?We couldn?t find documentation of a speed limit on that stretch of road,? Hotchkiss said. ?The speed limit went from 25 to 55, and we just wanted to clean up the area.?

A traffic count on the road preceded Hothckiss? recommendation for the 45 mile-per-hour speed limit.

Tuesday?s entire meeting consisted of information from the engineer.

Supervisors approved the purchase of permanent and temporary easements on 140th and Hickory streets for construction of a culvert to replace a bridge. The total easement cost on both roads is $6,500.

In a related matter, construction plans were approved for the twin-box culvert project and a bid letting was set for Tuesday, March 15.

The March 15 bid letting will be the third of the month for the supervisors. The contract will be awarded for the 260th Street roadwork west of Franklin Avenue on March 1, and the bid letting date for the pavement replacement project on old Highway 34 near Goodyear Road will be on March 8.

?We are going to be busy in March, preparing for the construction season,? Hotchkiss said.

He said the secondary roads department is accepting applications until Feb. 19 for an equipment operator (motor grader) to work from the Trenton office.

Last week?s activity by the secondary roads department, Hotchkiss said, consisted of largely hauling spot rock to various roads in the county and shoulder work on county roads.

Supervisors will meet again in regular session on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.