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Washington Evening Journal
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South Main Street in Fairfield to close to through-traffic
FAIRFIELD — One of Fairfield’s major thoroughfares will be closed to through-traffic starting Monday, May 1.
South Main Street/Highway one from Fillmore Avenue to Libertyville Avenue will be closed to through-traffic to allow contractors to move utilities in this area in preparation for the road’s reconstruction and the addition of a sidewalk on one side and a wide trail on the other side that will connect to the Fairfield Loop Trail. Local traffic will still be able to access South Main Street until the road construction commences.
South Main Street will be converted from a two-lane road to a three-lane road, which means widening the road 14 feet.
Fairfield Public Works Director and City Engineer Melanie Carlson and Visit Fairfield Executive Director Terry Baker worked together to create a map to help visitors navigate the detour. Baker said that copies of the map will be dropped off at locations south of the construction such as Casey’s, Jefferson County Health Center and AmericInn.
“I wanted to be sure, from my side, that when people check into the AmericInn, they know where to go,” Baker said.
Baker noted that the other side of the map will include a list of Fairfield restaurants with regular hours, and a QR code visitors can use to view the full list of Fairfield restaurants on the visitor’s bureau’s website.
“We know that food is a major part of anyone’s travel, and we want to say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. There are a lot of places to eat, and here they are,’” Baker said.
One of the major parts of this road reconstruction will involve adding a roundabout at the intersection of South Main Street and Libertyville Road. The Fairfield City Council approved the roundabout design in December 2020. At the time, then council member Michael Halley said the main reason for switching to a roundabout was safety, because statistics show that roundabouts lead to fewer crashes and less severe crashes because they slow traffic. Roundabouts are also easier and cheaper to maintain since they don’t require traffic lights.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
