The city of Ames informed the public about plans to widen Mortensen Road between South Dakota Avenue and Dotson Drive.

The city hosted a public information meeting at Ames Middle School on Sept. 4 regarding changes to Mortensen Road. The project, anticipated for next summer, will create a separate turn lane onto Coconino Road. This will allow for an acceleration lane for thru traffic. Changes will also be made to the CyRide stops and pedestrian crossings in the area.

Rudy Koester, civil engineer in the public works department, and Tracy Warner, municipal engineer, represented the city at the meeting. Community members were able to attend to discuss and view the proposed changes.

Koester said the project will help alleviate the congestion in traffic. Warner added that the current CyRide stops back up traffic because cars behind the buses must also stop. With a separate turn lane, drivers who are turning will be able to make safer decisions with less pressure.

Improvements will also be made for pedestrians with a push button for the crosswalk equipped with LED light, Koester said.

The city will also be repairing areas that hold some water, Warner said.

The city is still working with the Ames Community School District and Iowa State to decide the exact date to begin the project. Ames Middle School and apartments that ISU students occupy are located on Mortensen Road.

“We hope to start once school is out and end before it starts up again,” Koester said.

Koester said the city has contacted residents who will be affected by the construction. An email was sent out to the apartment residents alerting them of the changes.

The need for the project was identified in the Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2010 long range transportation plan. The city applied for a traffic safety improvement grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation in fall 2013.

The city was awarded the grant this past spring. With the grant, the project was able to take off and the design process started in the summer.

Estimated cost for the project is $445,000. The DOT grant will cover approximately $391,000 of the budget, which is about 88 percent of the construction costs.