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Government

Possible Realignment for Grant and State Streets

Making major changes in the two main streets through downtown Bettendorf might help local businesses, but it would cost a lot of money.

Herb Trix reports last week, a consultant estimated re-aligning State and Grant streets, for two-way traffic on both, could cost 20 million dollars. 

Director of Public Works, Brian Schmidt, says right now both are one-way streets which helps traffic moves quickly through downtown but does not encourage anyone to stop. 

'Taking State Street and not making it a truck thoroughfare, but taking the truck traffic and pushing it up to Grant Street and creating a more walkable community down through the State Street corridor - from 17th Street to 26th Street."

To handle more truck traffic, Schmidt says Grant Street would have to be expanded to five lanes - two in each direction with a center turn lane. But that would require taking property from one, or both sides, of the street. 

"Having the alignment down the center of Grant Street - it would have the least impact to the existing business and property owners."

He says the Bettendorf city council will probably discuss this during its annual goal-setting meeting next month, and could decide to add it to the city's long-range plan.
 

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.