Yellow marks indicate proposed school hour speed zones for U.S. Highway 63 (Harding Street) in Tama. (DOT aerial photo)

There could soon be a school hours speed zone in front of the South Tama High School on U.S. Highway 63 (Harding Street) in Tama. The Iowa Department of Transportation has agreed to install solar-powered lights and signs. The decision comes following a recent traffic study according to DOT District 1 Traffic Technician Gary Kretlow Jr. (SEE ATTACHED .pdfs)

The four-lane roadway speed would change from the current 40 mph to 30 mph during certain school hours. The 40 mph speed limit would be maintained on the rest of the stretch of highway and in front of the high school during other school hours Kretlow told local officials in an email on Feb. 5.

As a final step to clear the way for the change, the Tama City Council is expected to decide at their regular meeting Monday night, Feb. 16, if the city will then assume ownership and bear future maintenance costs.

Tama Council members along with the South Tama School Board and administration have asked for establishment of a school speed zone for some time. Tama council member Mike Carnahan recently again raised the issue following another collision at the main high school entrance.

In addition, a Safe Schools Route study has looked at both the speed limit and called attention to the lack of some sidewalks along the highway.

Michelle Yuska, school board president, told The News-Herald her request to adjust the new zone slightly to the north to include the frontage of the baseball filed was declined by the DOT because the field activity wouldn’t be during normal school hours.

If approval is made by the Tama Council, the change comes some 46 years after the present South Tama High School Building was opened on the U.S. 63 route.

The DOT traffic study just completed shows 85 percent of the traffic on the roadway was obeying the 40 mph speed limit. This resulted in the DOT recommendation to leave the current limit in place, Kretlow, the traffic technician wrote.

Traffic patterns on U.S. 63 have changed over the years. In the area, there’s added traffic for the South Tama Elementary School and the Indian Hills housing addition which has grown significantly. The Sunny Hill Care Center and Crown Point Apartments directly across the high school also have expanded over the years.

In addition, South Church Street in Toledo to State Street in Tama ceased to be a direct travel route with the construction of the U.S. 30 Expressway.

Both commercial and passenger car traffic bound for the Expressway may have also added to traffic volume.