IDOT- Mayor ltr SW Arteri IA 32Office of the Mayor
and City Council
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
February 18, 2002
Mr. Mark Wandro. Director
Iowa Department of Transportation
800 Lincoln Way
Ames, iowa 50010
Re: IA32
Dear Mr. Wandro:
Thank you for meeting with DMATS representatives on Thursday, February 14 to
discuss the future of IA32. I know you have a busy schedule, with many other demands
on your time.
We certainly understand that IDOT is facing some difficult funding issues, and we very
much appreciate that you are willing to recommend keeping IA32 (Southwest Arterial) in
the five-year plan.
City Manager Mike Van Milligen met with DOT District Engineer Dick Kautz the day
after our meeting to confirm the understanding that Sister Catherine Dunn, Mike and I
got from our discussions with you. I would summarize that as follows:
The Iowa Department of Transportation staff and the IDOT Commission are very
supportive of the completion of IA32 and agree with the need for the roadway. The
decision to delay the project and subsequent discussions to remove the project from the
IDOT five-year plan center on the funding difficulties facing IDOT.
You specifically inquired about the transportation priorities for the Dubuque area
transportation policy makers. We confirmed that the Dubuque Metropolitan Area
Transportation Study (DMATS), the City of Dubuque and Dubuque County consider
IA32 our number one transportation priority.
In summary, you had conversations with the IDOT Commission and you are willing to
recommend keeping IA32 in the IDOT five-year plan if the following occur:
DMATS will fund the estimated $640,300 needed to complete the Environmental
Assessment.
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Mr. Mark Wandro, Director
February 18,2002
Page 2
DMATS will fund the estimated $3.5 to $5.6 million needed to complete the study
needed on identified archeological sites.
DMATS follows through on the offer to significantly cut costs on the initial
construction of the road, including the possibility of lowering design speeds,
buying and/or preserving property to build a 4-lane divided road with
interchanges, but possibly only building 2 lanes with at-grade intersections to
start.
You also made the point that further reduction in IDOT revenue projections could re-
open this discussion.
On February 15 a DMATS meeting was held (however. there was no quorum) and the
group unanimously supported this compromise. I will take this letter to DMATS, the
Dubuque City Council and the Dubu¢ ue County Board of Supervisors for their
affirmation of its contents.
Thank you for your recognition of the ~mportance of IA32 to Northeast Iowa and the
State as a whole. I look forward to working with you in the future.
Sincerely yours,.
Mayor
TMD:jh
cc: Mr. Kevin Mahoney, Director - Highway Division, IDOT
Mr. Dick Kautz, IDOT District #6 Engineer
DMATS Board of Directors
Dubuque County Board of Supervisors
Dubuque City Council
Sister Catherine Dunn, President, Clarke College
Senator Tom Harkin
Senator Charles Grassley
Congressman Jim Nussle
Senator Mike Connolly
Senator Thomas Flynn
Representative Pam Jochum
Representative Pat Murphy
Representative Robert Osterhaus
Representative Paul Scherrman
Linda Lucy, Assistant to Senator Tom Harkin
Cindy Kohlmann, District Representative for Congressman Jim Nussle
Mr. Mark Wandro, Director
February 18, 2002
Page 3
Steve Horman, President, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce
P, ick Dickinson, Executive Director, Greater Dubuque Development Corp.
John Schmidt, Chairman of Board, Greater Dubuque Development Corp.
Mike Coyle, Chairman of the Board, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce
Greater Dubuq He Development Corporation Executive Board
Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Board
Kelly Deutmeyer, Executive Director, DMATS
Michael C. Van Milligen, Dubuque City Manager