New Iowa City road not a bypass

By Gregg Hennigan

IOWA CITY - A new bridge over the Iowa River is expected to open soon.

As I reported in a story today, the bridge is part of a bigger project to link Mormon Trek and Scott boulevards and provide a new thoroughfare on the south side of town.  The new road is known as McCollister Boulevard.

McCollister is not intended to be a new bypass, said Jeff Davidson, the city's planning and community development director, and Rick Fosse, the public works director. It is expected to provide relief to the busy Highway 6 to the north, but McCollister will be an arterial street with intersections and traffic signals.

"It will clearly be the efficient way to move around south Iowa City, but it will not function as an interstate," Davidson said.

Once the bridge is finished, McCollister will run from Mormon Trek to a bit east of Gilbert Street in the area south and southeast of the airport.

The eastern stretch of McCollister will be completed as the area developments. Davidson said the city has a general plan for how the street will be aligned.