Washington accepts bid for long-awaited stoplight

WASHINGTON — City council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept a construction contract for a new stoplight installation at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Highway 92.

The installation in front of the United Presbyterian Home is expected to relieve long waits at the intersection, especially for cars trying to turn left off 12th during congested commuter hours. The “platooning” of cars at red lights should also make it easier to turn onto Highway 92 — also called East Washington Street, within city limits — from other intersections in town, according to city consultants.

Council members have spent nearly a year and a half waiting for contractor bids, rebids, and DOT coordination in the effort, and there was little discussion on the project’s necessity ahead on Tuesday night ahead of the vote. Council Member Illa Earnest added an emphatic “amen” after her motion to approve the contract was seconded.

The winning bid for the project — from Kline Electric — came in at $227,600.25, around $100,000 less than a cost estimate provided by a hired consultant last year. City staff said they were relieved by the finding.

“All four bids came in underneath the engineer’s estimate,” City Administrator Joe Gaa said. “I don’t know that that means the bidding climate is coming back to normal, but this was good news.”

The stoplight won’t be set up for at least another half-year, according to Gaa, who said contractors expected delivery of the materials and equipment to take roughly 6-9 months, before construction can begin.

The stoplight is a major element of Washington’s efforts to convert the state-maintained road into town from a four-lane to a three-lane.

An informational video from the Iowa Department of Transportation said similar conversions reduced crashes by up to 47% in some cities, since cars that needed to suddenly slow down and turn could do so out of the way from other traffic barreling in and out of town.

The same video said three-lanes had lower crossing risks for pedestrians, easier passage for emergency vehicles, and only minimal downsides for large agricultural equipment and semis using the road compared to four-lanes.

City officials said they expected the new lanes to come with a learning curve, but ultimately prove beneficial.

“I’ve been through a lot of different cities that have done that,” Council Member Elaine Moore said when the plan was first discussed in May of 2023. “At first, it threw me off … but I really felt it was pretty easy, slowed traffic down, and I didn’t have any trouble with it in different cities that I went through.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com