Paving work being done on new 8th Avenue SW ...

Paving work has begun on what will be a new street in southwest Waukon as Skyline Construction and its paving subcontractors began bringing 8th Avenue SW into more visible existence this past week, as evident in the surrounding photos. The new concrete street will connect the existing 2nd Street SW with Rossville Road just north of the Waukon Mobile Home Community and Waukon City Park, and will eventually service the new location for the R.W. Pladsen automobile dealership and the new Family Dollar/Dollar Tree retail store currently being constructed on the east end of the new street, along with eventual residential development along the new street’s western portion.

Waukon City Manager Gary Boden said the new street is expected to be open for public use by the end of this month of June, hoping to coordinate with the opening of the new Family Dollar/Dollar Tree store. Boden said the new street will have a 35 mph speed limit and no parking available on either side, serving as an arterial roadway that will not only serve the current and planned development of the area but also spur further development, especially where the residential areas are concerned.

The extension of West Street SW past its current dead end near the blue water tower in south Waukon will also connect with the new 8th Avenue SW at the intersection point pictured in both photos. Boden said that West Street SW extension will be an asphalt overlay with curb and gutter, and is also anticipated to be completed by the end of June. Standard photos by Joe Moses.