Ridge Road in Decorah will be repaired this year because of the Locust Road reconstruction next year

The project to rebuild Locust Road in Decorah is causing another road to be rebuilt.

Members of the city's Street Committee Monday evening approved a recommendation to make $740,000 in improvements to Ridge Road this year and next year.  Ridge Road will be used as the detour route when traffic on Locust Road is closed because of construction.  Street Committee Chair Ross Hadley said city officials originally thought Ridge Road was in good enough shape to be used as a detour route, but realized the condition of the road had worsened because "of the last several winters we've had."

The new plan is to make repairs to the hill portion of Ridge Road this summer and repairs to the Ridge Road portion near College Drive next spring.  That would allow traffic to use Ridge Road as the detour when construction on College Drive begins in 2020.

In addition to the work on Ridge Road, there will be an overlay put down on portions of Shady Lane and Hilltop, two other streets which will be used for the detour.

Money for the work on Ridge Road will come from the bond issue for Locust Road.  That has Street Committee members looking more closely at ways to save money on the Locust Road project, although there was not agreement Monday night on how to do that.