Iowa Street rebuild plans moving forward

City commissioners Tuesday unanimously agreed that a major portion of Iowa Street should be rebuilt and should include a center turn lane.

Commissioners directed staff members to move forward on design work for a $5.5 million project to rebuild Iowa Street from Yale Road to Bob Billings Parkway.

Commissioners heard more than an hour’s worth of public comment from neighbors, who were divided on whether to add a center turn lane to the street.

City staff members recommended the turning lane because 76 accidents have occurred on the stretch of street during the last three years.

The project is planned to be paid for through a mix of local sales tax dollars, state and federal money and local general obligation debt.

Work likely will not begin until early 2012.