The city of Perry officially announced the start of the 2020 Street Improvements project Tuesday by issuing the following statement:
The 2020 Street Improvements project includes street improvements for nearly 60 blocks of city streets, with all streets involved receiving a new asphalt surface. The Iowa DOT will also begin work on the Highway 144 improvements from Highway 141 to the north city limits.
The contractor hired for the work is Des Moines Asphalt. They are anticipating beginning the work the week of May 4th and will be starting in the southern areas of the city. There will be some minor disruptions to traffic during the construction, however, those will primarily be limited to the daytime hours only.
For those homeowners affected, Des Moines Asphalt will be placing door hangers in advance of the project. If you happen to be a resident that has a vehicle parked on the street and you have been notified of street work, please make sure to move your vehicle before the work begins.
The work will vary in areas of the community with removal of the existing surface, pavement patching and installation of a new asphalt surface. There will be traffic barricades up while work is happening on the selected streets. Access will be limited during the time when work is occurring but will be open again for traffic at the end of the day.
For everyone’s safety and to help the contractors build a great street, please be respectful of the barricades and avoid the construction areas as much as possible. The duration of the project is expected to last one month.
The project cost is over $1,015,300 and is being funded by the city of Perry’s one-cent Local Option Sales Tax and the 10-cent fuel tax increase approved by state of Iowa in 2015.
It is important to city leaders to use these funds strictly for street improvements within our community. In order to be financially responsible, a large multi-block project is more cost effective than a smaller overlay project each year. The city’s Local Option Sales Tax Funds are used solely for street projects, capital expenditures, grant matching funds and building and grounds maintenance.
The city of Perry will continue to schedule multi-block overlay projects in other areas of our community on a regular basis to be paid with Local Option Sales Tax and Road Use Tax funds. The work being completed on Highway 144 is fully funded by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
If you have questions or concerns about this project, please contact the City of Perry at 515-465-2481 or Jacob Ahrens with Bolton & Menk, Inc. at 515-233-6100.
