City of Ridgeway officials mulling proposal to change the route of County W-14

The route of County Highway W-14 through the City of Ridgeway might change in the future.  The road might follow two blocks of 295th Avenue, taking a short cut to Highway 9.

Winneshiek County Engineer Lee Bjerke describes the current 295th Avenue as "beat up."  The road is scheduled to be repaired, with tiling work beginning yet this fall.  Initial plans had called for a 3-inch asphalt paving to be done next spring, with Ridgeway and Winneshiek County splitting the costs.

But at a meeting Monday, Ridgeway and county officials discussed the possibility of using state road use tax funds in the so-called "Farm to Market" account to pay for the project.  That would enable the road to be repaved with a 7-inch layer of concrete that would better handle truck and semi traffic.  City of Ridgeway officials are worried that the truck traffic might use 295th Avenue anyway after it gets repaved, so rerouting Highway W-14 onto 295th Avenue might make sense, especially since the new route would avoid residential areas of Ridgeway.

The Ridgeway City Council still must approve the concept, since Ridgeway will pay for half the cost of the project.  The Winneshiek County Board of Monday gave its informal approval to the concept.