Main Street Reconstruction Throughout Cedar Falls’ history, the Main Street corridor has served as the primary north-south artery connecting the City to its downtown core; as such, it has shaped the way people have traveled through the community. From its early days as a milling and industrial center, to its later growth alongside the university, to the vibrant city it is currently, Main Street has reflected the growth of Cedar Falls. It evolved from an unpaved thoroughfare to a brick-paved street, it was home to the city’s first trolley route, and it eventually became the current four-lane facility it is today. Main Street used to be a section of US 218/IA 58 and was heavily utilized by through traffic. In 1993, the new IA 58 was constructed, which runs parallel to Main Street. This new route has removed some through traffic from the corridor. The Main Street Corridor Traffic Study was completed in 2017 and showed that changes in traffic patterns and types, typical users, and needs of the corridor over time have presented Cedar Falls an opportunity to modernize the corridor to better serve the community’s needs and address infrastructure deficiencies.
Aquatics 20 Business & Industry 2 Community Main St. 13 Construction 1, 10–11 Employment 2 Event Calendar 12 Flood 6 Hearst Center 2, 4, 14–15 Historical Society 13 Library 16–17 Outdoors 4, 5, 7, 20 Parking 20 Permits 6 Public Meetings 3 Public Safety 6 Rec Center 18–19 Streets 9 Tourism 2 Waste/Recycling 8, 9
The full project includes reconstructing Main Street from 6th Street to University Avenue from a 4-lane roadway to a 3-lane roadway with on-street bike lanes. New roundabouts will be constructed at Seerley Blvd., 12th Street, and 18th Street intersections. The project will also include improvements to the water main, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, sidewalks, and other miscellaneous roadway items. There are two construction phases that will begin in Spring 2023: 1. Seerley Blvd to 18th Street: This will include all construction activities south of the 18th Street intersection. This phase will start with a full road closure to north/south traffic just south of the Seerley Blvd. intersection where a large box culvert will be constructed. This phase will also include the Seerley Blvd. roundabout. 2. 6th Street to 10th Street: This is the north end of the project. Work on this phase will include new traffic signals at the 6th Street intersection and a gateway feature just north of the 7th Street intersection. Conceptual rendering of proposed gateway feature north of 7th St. intersection Main Street Reconstruction Phasing Plan
The rest of the construction will be completed in the following two years, with scheduled completion being in August 2025. Additional information and updates will be provided on the City’s webpage. For ongoing, active projects sign up for e-mail notifications through “Notify Me” at www.cedarfalls.com/NotifyMe.