Email: "Assess impact of the Tama-Toledo bypass"
*To:		<--TO Email REQUIRED!
*From:		<--FROM Email REQUIRED!

TOLEDO CHRONICLE - Local officials say the bypass on U.S. Highway 30 around the cities of Tama and Toledo should be a boon, rather than a bust, to those towns, and the surrounding area.

“I guess I’m an optimist,” said Toledo Mayor Pamela Wood. “I think it will benefit us, but maybe not initially.”

Economic development professionals say that having a convenient transportation system is one of the keys to promoting growth. However, that convenience can come at a cost to some towns.

When the Interstate system was built across the United States, it was credited with being the death knell to some communities. However, Wood said she believes the community can overcome any temporary loss of travelers.

“We are still going to be right here and not too far from the highway,” she said. “The off ramp will expose most of what’s available to travelers. It will be an advantage.”

Wood said she expects the majority of those stopping to be coming from the Cedar Rapids area. But by the time they will have reached Tama and Toledo, westbound travelers from the Cedar Rapids area will have traveled approximately 50 miles from the last town.

That should work to the city’s favor. Another thing the city has going for it is the local businesses that have welcomed travelers and locals alike for many years.

“We have some well established businesses on the highway,” she said. “I think people will get off just for those.”

The bypass has been one of the priorities of the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce for years.

“The last time I looked, Highway 30 was the second-most traveled corridor in the state, the first being Interstate 80. So it’s a very important corridor,” said Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President Ken Anderson.

However, he noted the bypass is simply one piece of that puzzle. There have been others already put into place, such as the LeGrand bypass.

In that town, Mayor Loran Vis said overall the impacts have been positive.

“It’s made the town quieter and safer, without as much traffic going through,” he said.

However, he noted that one used car dealer did close down and Vis thought the bypass may have been at least a contributing factor.

“He didn’t last too long once the traffic was moved,” Vis said.

However, Tama/Toledo is different from LeGrand just in the number of retail and restaurant businesses on the road. LeGrand only had a convenience store, which is still in operation, and that car dealer.

Tama/Toledo has several gas stations, hotels and restaurants, which will be bypassed.

Anderson said that if the Tama/Toledo bypass were just a single project, it would not matter much. But with the LeGrand bypass and recent four-laning that has been completed and the rest that is planned, it makes a difference.

“From a transportation perspective, efficiency is everything,” Anderson said. “The less obstruction you have, the better things move.”

Subscribe to Toledo Chronicle, Tama News-Herald

Share:

You must first login before you can comment.

Existing Member Login
Not a Member?	Create a Member Account
*Your email address:		<--Email REQUIRED!
*Password:	Forgot Password?	<--Password REQUIRED!
	Remember my email address.