Project Overview
Benton Street is a heavily used corridor within Iowa City, connecting West High, Horn Elementary, residential neighborhoods and apartments to the Riverfront Crossings area, the downtown district, and the University of Iowa. The project corridor extends approximately 6,550 feet along Benton Street from Mormon Trek Boulevard to just east of Benton Drive. The existing pavement is a 33-foot wide Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) roadway with approximately two 13-foot wide travel lanes (one in each direction) and 3-foot painted shoulders.
The pavement on Benton Street requires frequent maintenance and provides low ride quality. The existing pavement is in poor condition, with joint deterioration becoming an increasing issue for much of the corridor. Sidewalk facilities do exist along both sides of Benton Street, including curb ramps at most intersections. However, many of the curb ramps do not meet current ADA requirements.
The Benton Street Rehabilitation Project includes the following
- A crack and seal of the existing pavement with a Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) overlay
- Painting of on-street bike lanes
- ADA sidewalk improvements at intersections
- Traffic and pedestrian signal improvements at the Benton and Sunset intersection
- Miscellaneous Storm and Sanitary sewer improvements
- 1,800 LF of 12” water main will replace the existing 6” water main from George Street to Greenwood Drive
Construction Schedule
- Project letting through the Iowa DOT occurred on June 21, 2022
- Award to Tschiggfrei Excavating, Inc. of Dubuque, IA on July 5, 2022
- Estimated Construction Schedule: April – November 2023
Informational Meeting
A virtual public information meeting will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. Register for the meeting here.
Funding
The MPOJC programmed $1,316,000.00 in STBG funding for the Benton Street Rehabilitation Project in the FY2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Council accepted this funding in February 2021.
Contact
Alin Dumachi, Senior Engineer
City of Iowa City - Engineering Division
319-356-5143