Keokuk, IA – A fourth interchange could be added to the proposed Highway 61 Bypass around Fort Madison.
Financial constraints led the Iowa Department of Transportation to alter its original design by eliminating an interchange at Highway 103, which runs between Fort Madison and West Point.
Lee County Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Kruse says the DOT may have to spend $500,000 to build a temporary bypass around that location so construction can take place.
He says a better use for that money would be to build the fourth interchange.
Kruse says an application will be filed with the state, before the end of the year, seeking more money for the project.
Additional Information
* Lee County, Fort Madison, and West Point have agreed to split the cost of purchasing the land needed for the interchange.
* It could cost several million dollars more to add the interchange after the bypass is built when compared to including the project in the original construction.