The Iowa Department of Transportation is issuing public notice of corridor preservation for the proposed U.S. 63 northwest bypass route, which would connect U.S. 63 north of the Oskaloosa city limits to a new interchange at Iowa 163 between Leighton and Oskaloosa in Mahaska County.
This notice includes a depiction of the corridor preservation area on a map, which is available at the Iowa DOT website.
The Iowa DOT implemented the reservation this week, with a possible need to acquire additional right of way or property rights within the designated area. Over the last several years, several public hearings have been held about a potential bypass in northwest Mahaska County for Highway 63, connecting a four lane highway west of Oskaloosa, near the proposed site for a regional airport at Highway 163 to the current two-lane road for 63 south of New Sharon.