Ask Mr. Answer Person: "Are there still plans to put a bike culvert under Highway 52?"

The culvert would be installed near the Trout Run Trail Bridge, under Highway 52

Scott e-mails: "Seeing the road work going on at the intersection of highways 9 and 52 on west end of Decorah by Windridge Implement, I thought the future bike trail connection to the Prairie Farmer Recreational trail was going to have a box culvert put in under the highway. Is that still the plan?  Or is this something that will be done in the future and the highway will be torn up again? It seems more practical to have done it now."

Mr. Answer Person says: "You're right that the original plan was to have a box culvert put in under the highway at the same time crews were working on the intersection.  But when bids were opened on the box culvert project, they came in much higher than predicted.  After going back to the drawing board and asking contractors for advice, city and county officials are now drawing up plans to use preformed concrete culverts.  Bids on the revised project will be opened by the Iowa DOT in January or February.

You're correct that this means the culvert project will be going on at a different time than the intersection project, but city and county officials say that will make it less congested when the culvert project is done.  Besides, they're hoping the one-year delay in installing a culvert could also save taxpayers a bundle of money on the project."