Pottawattamie County wins $19.9 million federal grant to rebuild Old Lincoln Highway
Pottawattamie County will rebuild 11.6 miles of Old Lincoln Highway between Council Bluffs and Honey Creek with the help of a $19.9 million federal safety grant announced Oct. 30. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program, is the largest awarded in Iowa this year and the fifth largest of nearly 300 nationwide. “The fact that we were able to punch above our weight is really exciting,” said County Engineer Andy Wicks. The county applied in May with the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and the engineering firm WSP.
The project will cost about $24.9 million. The grant covers 80 percent, and the county will pay the remaining $4.975 million from its secondary roads budget. Wicks said the department’s budget is about $20 million a year, most of it for salaries and routine maintenance, and the county had identified Old Lincoln Highway as a priority but struggled to find the money. The road runs from Coit Road near the Council Bluffs city limits through Crescent to Sumac Road near Honey Creek. It is also part of the Loess Hills Scenic Byway, and Wicks said traffic on it has grown over the past 10 years.
The county’s Safety Action Plan, completed in 2025, ranked the corridor among the most dangerous in the county. Between 2019 and 2023, it saw 121 crashes, including four fatal crashes and eight that caused serious injuries. Nearly half involved vehicles leaving the road. The county estimates the improvements will prevent about 10 crashes a year.
Wicks described the work in three sections. Between Council Bluffs and Crescent, crews will flatten some of the steep hills and sharp curves, widen and pave the shoulders and add rumble strips. Wicks said the county also wants a safer route for people heading to Hitchcock Nature Center and other county parks. Through Crescent, the county hopes to add curbs, gutters and a walking path and to slow traffic, with the final design worked out with city officials. Wicks plans to meet with the Crescent City Council in December to go over early plans. North of Crescent, the road will be rebuilt as a rural highway.
The grant also pays for studies of rectangular rapid flashing beacons, which are pedestrian-activated warning lights at crosswalks, in smaller towns around the county. Locations being considered include Avoca, Crescent, Neola, Oakland, Treynor, Underwood and Walnut. Final locations will be chosen with each community.
Construction is still a few years away. The county first has to sign a grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration, which Wicks said takes two to three months, and complete an environmental review. The county plans to seek proposals from engineering firms in March 2027, and design is expected to take about a year. Construction could start as early as 2029 and, according to the county, continue through 2031. Wicks said he hopes to finish in two construction seasons and to keep at least one lane open throughout.
Wicks said the county already owns 66 feet of right-of-way along the road, which is about 24 feet wide, and he does not expect to need to take any private land. Once a preliminary design is ready, the county will hold town halls and meet with property owners along the route. “We want to make sure we are hearing Crescent’s voice and get them the product that they need,” Wicks said.
