|
|
The Eddyville Bypass Story
The Iowa Department
of Transportation's job is to make highways safer for travelers. As Iowa
cities grow and travel between them increases, wider roads are needed
to make room for more traffic to operate safely. The highways between
Iowa's capital city, Des Moines, and the city of Burlington, which is
located in southeast Iowa on the Mississippi River, are getting very crowded.
|
|
The
increase in traffic on the highways that go through many towns along
the route can make it dangerous for people walking and driving in
those small towns. And, the people who want to drive that route don't
like to be slowed down at all those towns between Des Moines and Burlington. |
So, the DOT sometimes
builds roads around these towns to make the communities safer and to make
it easier for both cars and trucks to travel longer distances without slowing
down so much.
| The
roads built around these towns are called bypasses. Since bypasses
are usually built on new locations, where no roads previously existed,
habitats for threatened or endangered plants or animals are sometimes
discovered. |
Natural
resources scientists look for
endangered and threatened species.
|
When a species is threatened
or endangered, the law requires that special measures be taken to protect
its habitat. Sometimes it is not possible to avoid the site completely.
If it is necessary to disturb the habitat, then the DOT takes measures to
reduce the impact.
Endangered
and threatened species found at Eddyville
| |
Pale green orchid |
Ornate box turtle |
|
|
Habitats for
an Iowa endangered plant, the Pale green orchid, and an Iowa threatened
reptile, the Ornate box turtle, were discovered where the DOT wanted
to build a bypass near Eddyville. By changing the plans for the
bypass, the DOT was able to avoid affecting these protected species,
and still make the bypass work to make travel safer for Iowans.
Additionally,
the DOT is buying the land where the turtles and orchids were found,
as well as nearby areas where snakes, lizards, and other turtles
and plants are living. By doing
this the DOT is protecting this special area called a "sand
prairie" from future disturbance. A total of more than 250 acres
will be saved as a public preserve to be used for observing, photographing and studying its natural
features.
|
Because
of the Eddyville bypass, students will be able someday take
their own children to visit the Eddyville Sand Prairie Preserve.
to |
Eddyville
Sand Prairie Preserve
|
|
|
