City officials are trying to decide what to do with Locust Road

Some of the problems with Locust Road can be fixed, while others probably cannot.  That's the opinion of members of the City of Decorah's Streets Committee, which is trying to figure out which problems are most important to fix.

Stormwater runoff is receiving a lot of the attention.   City Street Superintendent Kevin Nelson says his crews have put in riprap along the side of Locust Road in several locations, but it has disappeared after heavy rains.  That means the road would benefit from earthwork which would act as retention ponds for stormwater.

Right now, says Nelson, there's been some washing out of the roadbed just before the S curve on Locust Road.  Committee member Randy Schissel says "the asphalt is not standing up."  He and other city council members would like to see the S curve changed on the road, but engineers who have looked at the issue say the topography of the area prevents such a solution.

Other city council members want a sidewalk or bike path along Locust Road.  Again because of the topography of part of the street, such a sidewalk could not be ADA compliant.  There are other areas along Locust Road where a sidewalk or bike path would probably be installed.

Repairs to Locust Road are still a few years in the future.  Nelson says one of the reasons for that time schedule is not just the planning for Locust Road, but the fact that repairs to Ridge Road and Sunrise probably would need to be made so the streets could be used for a detour.