SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
Sioux City and Woodbury County may be back on the same page, but their plans for a new interchange may have hit a bump in the road.
In the past week, both have signed a non-binding agreement to plan and develop a new interchange between miles markers 138 and 140. The ramp would serve Sioux City's Southbridge Industrial Park and reduce traffic at the Port Neal exit. The memorandum states that Sioux City, Sergeant Bluff and Salix will split 45-percent of the cost of a justification study required by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
But, the mayor of Salix says her town's been left out of the loop. She says they haven't been contacted and they're not interested. Linda Cox, Salix Mayor says, "We figured we were out of the deal once we pulled out of Liberty."
The Salix City Council pulled its support for Woodbury County's Liberty Industrial Park last year, after push back from century farm owners. A Woodbury County official says he'd planned on talking to Sergeant Bluff and Salix about the interchange study in the near future. Rob Marqusee, Rural Economic Development. Dir says, "When it comes down to who's paying what, we understand that Salix does not have the resources. We're not trying to impose an unprecedented tax on them."
Marqusee suggested creating an urban renewal area to capture some of the town's existing tax revenue to pay for Salix's share of the study.
