The Pella City Council has started planning for traffic controls at a busy and often dangerous interchange.

An engineering services agreement was approved Tuesday that begins designs for additional traffic control at the eastbound Highway 163 Exit 40 ramps on Washington Street. City Administrator Mike Nardini says more than $500,000 in improvements are in the works, including additional turn lanes and traffic lights at the intersection with West 15th Street.

Nardini says once planning is done, the city council will have to decide how to fund the project. If the traffic control upgrades are funded entirely by the city, they could be complete late this year, however, if the council decides to apply for a 55 percent match from the Iowa DOT, it could take an additional year before the financing is in place.

Hear more on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.