HINTON, Iowa — Community members packed Hinton’s City Hall on Tuesday, June 17, to share their opinions during a public hearing hosted by the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) regarding a long-discussed expansion of U.S. Highway 75.

The proposed project would reconstruct 0.7 miles of Highway 75 to create a continuous four-lane divided roadway through the entirety of Hinton, eliminating the current break in the divided highway at the town’s north and south ends.

“(The project) has been discussed for many years. I want to say that, for almost 20 years, this project has been discussed,” said Sarah Tracy, Iowa DOT District 3 Transportation Planner. “We’ve looked at several alternatives on what we’re going to do, and we’ve come up with our proposed alternative... a four-lane divided section through town with a raised median.”

Tracy emphasized that the raised median was selected specifically due to safety concerns, especially at the Main Street and County Road C-60 intersection, as well as the nearby railroad crossing.

The plan includes added left-turn lanes at major intersections and a northbound right-turn lane near the train crossing. A five-foot-wide sidewalk extending from Grover Street to north of Maple Street is also part of the preliminary design.

Estimated to cost around $13.6 million, the project remains in its early planning stages, with Iowa DOT actively seeking public feedback through July 31.

“We want to hear from people,” Tracy said. “There may be some impacts that we haven’t discovered or aren’t thinking of... so it really, truly is public input that we’re still looking for to make sure that we move forward doing the right thing here.”

During the hearing, Iowa DOT also addressed concerns over the potential impact to two historic buildings on Hinton’s Main Street: the Bank of Hinton and the Haas-Shuenk Hardware.

“They’ve been looked at extensively... We considered moving them,” Tracy explained. “Ultimately, it was decided that they weren’t going to be able to do it... So we’ve been working with SHPO, the State Historical Preservation Office, as well as the federal government on what our options are there.”

The next steps for the project include incorporating public input, completing an environmental assessment, and developing a final design. Before construction begins, DOT officials will also conduct Right of Way acquisition, the legal process of securing land access for public infrastructure.

If the planning stays on track, construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2029.

Residents interested in learning more or providing input can contact Iowa DOT or visit the project’s official webpage through the DOT’s public comment portal.

Originally reported by Acacia Phillips in KTV.