By Alex Payne
A road connecting the parking lots between Buildings 1 and 7 is set to be built this summer.
DMACC received an $800,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation to fund the new road, according to Vice President of Business Services Greg Martin.
DMACC President Rob Denson sees the expansion as one that will help drivers get around campus.
“Right now if you are in Building 1 you have to drive all the way around campus to get to 7,” Denson said. “So we are going to go between the Energy center and the wind turban in kind of a nice circle around to connect. It is probably only going to be for automobile traffic. It’s not going to be a four-lane but it will be a very nice two-lane. It will be much handier.“
When construction crew work on the two-lane road they will also be grading the area for the addition of an extra two-lanes creating a four-lane boulevard.
“Our plan now is to do a two-lane hard surface road between those two parking lots. Then do the dirt work or grade work for a four-lane in the future. So we will have all of the grading done while they are there,” Martin said. “The engineers think that is plenty of money to do the two-lane. The four-lane may be too expensive so we are doing the two. That should do that If we have a little left over we need some repair work on the existing DMACC Boulevard.”
The construction work is expected to start soon, according to Denson.
The next step is to get bids for the project, according to Martin. The bidding is expected to take place in March.
“We have had the engineers out there to do the site work, then we will go out for a bid probably March or April. Receive the bid, approved by our DMACC Board, then we anticipate breaking ground late spring or early summer,” Martin said.
When the frost unfreezes construction work may begin. DMACC officials hope to have the road open come August.
“We hope to be up and using it by fall,” Denson said.
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