A Clinton, Iowa, business advocate group is putting in $5,000 to support a study on U.S. Highway 30 and its impact on the area economy.
That study could help make U.S. Highway 30 a four-lane highway across the state.
During a recent meeting of its board of directors, the Clinton Regional Development Corporation (CRDC) unanimously agreed to invest the money for the proposed U.S. Highway Corridor Economic Impact Study.
“Continued investment in the U.S. 30 corridor makes sense,” Andy Sokolovich, CRDC’s interim president and CEO, said in a news release. “With over 50 manufacturers in the Clinton region, access to a robust highway system is essential moving forward. As we grow, infrastructure improvements must follow.”
Mr. Sokolovich added, “I already know what the study is going to reveal. The results will speak to economic growth along the corridor, justifying the need for increased investment in upgrades to U.S. 30 on both sides of the river.”
The proposed study will look at the economic role and importance of two segments of U.S. Highway 30 in Iowa. The segments, each about 40 miles in length, extend from Carroll to Ogden in Carroll, Green and Boone counties, and from Lisbon to DeWitt in Linn, Cedar and Clinton counties. The analysis will look at the importance of the U.S. 30 corridor across the state.
In recent weeks, the Clinton County Board of Supervisors and the Clinton City Council each pledged $10,000 to support the study.
The study, expected to cost $97,000, is being pushed by the U.S. Highway 30 Coalition and could be conducted by Snyder & Associates. It is expected to take six to eight months and could be ready in January.
Once completed, the study will be presented to the Iowa Department of Transportation, the governor’s office and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
The coalition has the goal of making U.S. Highway 30 a four-lane highway across the state.
According to the group’s website, the U.S. Highway 30 Coalition is a group of concerned citizens, local and state officials, economic development organizations, freight shippers and transportation stakeholders that are devoted to the future improvement of U.S. Highway 30. Improvements and four-laning U.S. 30 will make for safer and more efficient travel across Iowa; while creating increased economic activity statewide.
