DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Highway 61 correspondence and documents, 1968-1974 | 1971-10-19 J.R. Coupal, Jr. to The Honorable Wilson L. Davis Page 2

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Highway 61 correspondence and documents, 1968-1974

1971-10-19 J.R. Coupal, Jr. to The Honorable Wilson L. Davis Page 2

The Honorable Wilson L. Davis
Page 2
October 19, 1971

the fact that new relocation assistance provisions came into Federal and State law following the 1968 public hearing. We, therefore, resubmitted our request for location approval in March 1971. The response was as follows: "We are presently declining approval of the proposed location as covered by the March 7, 1968 hearing. A careful study should be made for alternate locations which would not require the relocation of large numbers of families." Following that transmittal dated April 26, 1971, additional housing data was obtained from Mayor Lane of Fort Madison and submitted to the Federal Highway Administration on June 7, 1971 with a request for reconsideration of the April 26, 1971 action. No location approval has been received.
In consideration of the above, we are attempting to reschedule the new hearing in December 1971 at which time we will discuss the same alternate locations presented at the 1968 public hearing. We will also, of course, include a detailed discussion of the relocation assistance provisions of the statutes. We will also meet the environmental statement provisions implemented this year and the State clearinghouse procedures implemented by the Federal Office of Management and Budget, also since the 1968 hearing. The results of the new location hearing as approved by the Comission will again be transmitted to the FHWA with all the necessary supporting materials along with another request for location approval.
At this time it is not possible for us to proceed with design activity considering the uncertainty of federal actions with regard to future federal participation. You will receive notification of the time and place of the follow-up hearing on the project.
With regard to the route section you mention in Keokuk which is the section from the north junction of the bypass and extending southeasterly to the present four-lane section in Keokuk, the Commission is currently considering a draft of the future five-year program which contains a recommendation by the staff that initial funding be provided for this project. You should know that our programming efforts this year are being overshadowed by two major fiscal problems. The first of these problems relates to the inflationary trends of highway construction costs experienced particularly in the past two years.

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The Honorable Wilson L. Davis Page 2 October 19, 1971 the fact that new relocation assistance provisions came into Federal and State law following the 1968 public hearing. We, therefore, resubmitted our request for location approval in March 1971. The response was as follows: "We are presently declining approval of the proposed location as covered by the March 7, 1968 hearing. A careful study should be made for alternate locations which would not require the relocation of large numbers of families." Following that transmittal dated April 26, 1971, additional housing data was obtained from Mayor Lane of Fort Madison and submitted to the Federal Highway Administration on June 7, 1971 with a request for reconsideration of the April 26, 1971 action. No location approval has been received. In consideration of the above, we are attempting to reschedule the new hearing in December 1971 at which time we will discuss the same alternate locations presented at the 1968 public hearing. We will also, of course, include a detailed discussion of the relocation assistance provisions of the statutes. We will also meet the environmental statement provisions implemented this year and the State clearinghouse procedures implemented by the Federal Office of Management and Budget, also since the 1968 hearing. The results of the new location hearing as approved by the Comission will again be transmitted to the FHWA with all the necessary supporting materials along with another request for location approval. At this time it is not possible for us to proceed with design activity considering the uncertainty of federal actions with regard to future federal participation. You will receive notification of the time and place of the follow-up hearing on the project. With regard to the route section you mention in Keokuk which is the section from the north junction of the bypass and extending southeasterly to the present four-lane section in Keokuk, the Commission is currently considering a draft of the future five-year program which contains a recommendation by the staff that initial funding be provided for this project. You should know that our programming efforts this year are being overshadowed by two major fiscal problems. The first of these problems relates to the inflationary trends of highway construction costs experienced particularly in the past two years.