Clear Lake council gets update on 4th Avenue South Corridor Project

CLEAR LAKE — The Clear Lake City Council received an update on the 4th Avenue South Corridor Project at their meeting earlier this week.

Clear Lake was awarded a $300,000 planning grant from the US Department of Transportation through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program in June 2023, with the city last year engaging with SEH Engineering of Mason City to do the design and engineering for the planning grant. The corridor is the area of 4th Avenue South from just east of the Interstate 35 interchange to the City Beach area.

Mayor Nelson Crabb says the goal is to make that corridor more safe for all types of traffic.  “Many of the crashes as they alluded to are of the 90-degree angle crashes — the stop, turn and go, or the four-way stop that we have there at 8th and 4th Avenue. So safety is a big, big part of why that’s being done over there, which may include, very well will include some roundabouts in each of those areas.”

Roundabouts are preliminarily being suggested by SEH at the intersections of South 8th, South 20th and South 24th Streets to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes. Crabb says if roundabouts are implemented, they would be single-lane roundabouts that would be appropriate for all types of traffic.  “Tractor trailers, semis if you will, and showing how the back end can ride up on a part of it, and that roundabout is made for that to happen, or farm equipment for that matter.”

The schedule is for the final planning design to be completed in late November of this year, and an application to the US DOT for final funding for the project under the program being made in early 2026.

Crabb made his comments on the “Ask the Mayor” podcast that was published earlier this morning — click here to listen