Iowa DOT to host online public hearing June 15, seeking further public input regarding Black Hawk Bridge project
The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (DOT) are holding a public hearing and requesting public input for a proposed replacement of the Iowa 9/Wisconsin 82 (Black Hawk) bridge in Lansing over the Mississippi River.
In order to accommodate the new bridge being planned, approximately 5.9 acres of easement and fee title is needed from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which is owned and managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The Iowa Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) intends to make a de minimis impact finding in accordance with 23 CFR 774 as the project is not expected to adversely affect the activities, features and attributes of the refuge. The Iowa DOT would like to gather public feedback on the environmental documentation, preferred alternative and potential impacts related to the planned improvements.
The environmental assessment is now available to review at the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street in Lansing, and is also available online at https://iowadot.gov/ole/NEPA-Compliance/NEPA-documents/Iowa-9-Wisconsin-....
PUBLIC INPUT OPTIONS
The Iowa DOT is providing two online meeting formats for the public hearing: “live” and “at your own pace”. Those who do not have access to the internet, or who need assistance viewing the materials, should contact Iowa DOT Transportation Planner Krista Billhorn at 641-423-7584 or 800-477-4368, or by email at krista.billhorn@iowadot.us.
A live online meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15 at 5:30 p.m. At the meeting time, navigate to www.iowadot.gov/pim, select the project and click on the “live meeting” link.
During the meeting, the study team will deliver a presentation to describe the proposed project, followed by a live question and answer session with the project team. Questions submitted can only be typed into the chat box and will be read by the moderator and answered by the project team. Meeting participants may also call 1-844-992-4726 the evening of the live meeting to ask a question. The meeting number is: 1322546426. Those who want to make a verbal comment during the meeting will need to press *3 to be placed in the queue for asking questions.
The “at your own pace” online meeting can be viewed anytime between June 15 and June 30 of this year. Navigate to www.iowadot.gov/pim and click on “Iowa 9 (Black Hawk) Bridge Meeting Online”. “At your own pace” meeting participants will experience a self-guided tour of the proposed project and can submit comments and questions at any time during the comment period.
Visit the Iowa DOT’s project-related public involvement event website at www.iowadot.gov/pim for information about scheduled public meetings and hearings, or view and offer input on any DOT project using the new “Map Search” feature. Comments and questions regarding the online public hearing should be received by June 30 of this year. Those who would like to receive future email notifications or submit a comment or question regarding this project outside of the scheduled meetings above should go to: http://bit.ly/iowadot4086.
