County approves U‑STEP agreement to add offset right‑turn lane at US‑52 and 395th Avenue

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors voted March 3 to approve a funding agreement that will allow the county to include an offset right‑turn lane at US‑52 and 395th Avenue as part of a fiscal‑year 2027 road rehabilitation.

Jaden Schapel, of the county engineer's office, told the board the rehabilitation covers about 1.6 miles and that the Iowa DOT encouraged including the turn lane as a safety improvement. The city of Bellevue applied for and was awarded a U‑STEP grant to fund the lane; the county will perform design work in‑house and serve as lead agency so the turn lane can be packaged with the county’s roadway project, with the city and DOT reimbursing the county for the city’s portion of work.

Schapel described the design as an offset right‑turn lane—roughly 900 feet long with a buffer between the lane and the adjacent travel lane—intended to reduce conflicts where vehicles slow to turn. Board members asked about potential new weaving or sight‑line problems; Schapel said DOT design standards and the offset design reduce those risks.

The board approved the motion to accept the U‑STEP funding agreement and proceed with design and a follow‑up reimbursement agreement with the city.