T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS It is at this point along U.S. Highway 30 eastbound, just past Tama-Toledo, that the road narrows from a four-lane to a two-lane. The Iowa DOT is set to make the stretch four-lane in the coming years, with grading work in the Tama County stretch set to start this summer.

TAMA COUNTY — It’s a familiar scene for many Central Iowans traveling east toward Cedar Rapids: as U.S. Highway 30 curves around the Tama-Toledo area, drivers prepare for lower speeds and, maybe, denser traffic in Tama and Benton counties.

However, that reality may soon change.

“We will be starting to move dirt this coming (fiscal) year, beginning July 1,” said Iowa Department of Transportation District 1 transportation planner Mike Clayton of upcoming projects to expand that two-lane stretch of Highway 30 to four lanes.

He said grading on the project should begin this summer on the Tama County section of the two-lane stretch.

“Most of the grading work will begin in 2018 and then the paving would take place in 2020,” Clayton said. “It should be open over to (Iowa) Highway 21, we’re hoping, by very late in 2020.”

Additionally, a new culvert and a new bridge are scheduled for letting along the Tama County stretch.

The Benton County portion, Clayton said, will “hopefully” be four-lane by the end of 2024 after grading, paving and other related work is complete.

Marshalltown Regional Partnership CEO Dave Barajas said a faster, more efficient route between the Cedar Rapids area and Central Iowa could be beneficial to local economic development.

“Anytime you can improve transportation routes for goods and services, and also for people traveling back and forth … there’s definitely an economic development benefit to that,” he said.

New housing units set to come online in the near future, Barajas said, could also start to help get out-of-town employees already working in Marshalltown to live in the city as well.

“It provides for better ways to transport goods and services and to transport people,” he said. “That causes potential for greater economic development.”

State Rep. Dean Fisher, R-Montour, also said there are benefits to having a completely four-lane Highway 30 through Tama County into eastern Iowa.

“It makes it more attractive for future businesses to locate here,” he said, adding existing businesses, like Iowa Premium Beef in Tama, could benefit from easier-flowing traffic.

Fisher also said he realized how the project could impact landowners along the highway.

“I understand some of the frustration by the landowners along there … but at the end of the day, we’ve got to have roads, and I think it’s important to expand Highway 30 to four-lane,” he said. “I feel for them, but it’s just the reality of being on a highway.”

Clayton said despite overall favorability among many residents of Central Iowa, there are some businesses that will be impacted by the change.

“Overall, it (public response) has been very positive,” he said. “Of course, property owners that are impacted don’t like it, and that’s true pretty much anywhere where we do a project.”

One example of a business already impacted is John Ernest Vineyard and Winery, located just north of Highway 30 near where the two-lane stretch begins.

“We are sorry to announce that we will be closing the winery,” a May 19 post on the business’ Facebook page reads, adding the move is due to the highway construction plans. “With the uncertainty of not knowing when and how this will impact people/customers getting into our business and the noise level of the traffic after construction is done, we have made this difficult decision.”

The post went on to say the last day of business will be June 17.

Fisher said safety could improve along the stretch of highway with four lanes.

“I know one motorcyclist lost his life at the point where the highway goes from four-lane just east of Tama to a two-lane,” he said, adding general traffic safety on the stretch of highway could improve with the change.

For more information, visit https://www.iowadot.gov/Travel#HighwayConstruction