Asbury's Roundabout Is Nearly Done. The Next Phase of Asbury Road Has No Funding or Timeline Yet.

All summer, getting through the corner of Asbury Road and Hales Mill Road meant cones, shifting lanes and crews from Valentine Construction Company, an Asbury firm. The city's own description of what that work produced is modest. In its October 2026 newsletter, the City of Asbury calls the three-legged roundabout "the first major step towards improving the flow of traffic through the highly traveled Asbury Road corridor."

The second step would move Radford Road and turn this intersection into a four-way roundabout. Right now it has no funding and no schedule. The City Administrator who has spent 22 years seeing projects like this through retires on December 4. So the summer of construction wraps up this fall, and the bigger fix it starts goes into winter waiting on money and a new administrator.

Here's where it all stands, plus the dates you'll want on the fridge before the snow arrives.

What's left on the roundabout

As of the October newsletter, the roundabout was "nearing completion," with final completion expected "this fall." The city says the work happened in five main stages and kept east-west traffic moving on Asbury Road the whole time. Most of it was done before the 2026-2027 school year started.

The latest detailed update on the city's Hales Mill Road roundabout project page is Update #14, dated September 4. It listed the remaining close-out steps:

• Grading the center island and placing amended soil for the final landscaping
• Final pavement striping and street signs
• Landscaping the center island once the striping and signs are in
• A site walk-through with the Iowa DOT, plus "some final minor construction related items" before final close-out

That update asked drivers to keep using caution, since crews would still be working "periodically and at varying times of the day." At its October 13 meeting, the City Council approved Change Order No. 6 and Pay Application No. 6 for the project. According to the engineer's memo to the council, Valentine Construction's request covered mostly sidewalk, curb and gutter, traffic signage, site restoration, excavation, subbase, and roadway and median pavement. Questions about the construction go to City Engineer Nate Stevenson of MSA, who is listed on the update at (563) 584-2891.

Phase two is on the plan, but it isn't paid for

The newsletter lays out the next phase. Radford Road would be realigned to the west, making a four-way roundabout at today's Hales Mill and Asbury Road intersection. The city says it is "pursuing project funding" for that phase, "with no current timeline in place for engineering design, bidding, and construction."

The city's capital improvement plan shows what that looks like in dollars. Three different Asbury Road figures float around in public documents, and they describe different things:

You can read the capital plan sheet and the DMATS transportation improvement program yourself. Here's my plain read. Federal money is lined up for an Asbury Road project on this stretch, but the city's own plan still treats the $3.3 million Radford connection as unfunded. Until a funding source comes through, the three-legged roundabout is how this corner will work.

The rest of this year's construction wraps up too

The roundabout wasn't the only work this year. Midwest Concrete of Peosta won the city's nearly $1,000,000 contract for 2026 asphalt roads and water main improvements. As of October, the city said that crew planned to finish "within the coming weeks," with final completion this fall. The project covered:

• Asphalt pavement rehab in the Legacy Heights Subdivision, Asbury Circle, Deerborn Drive, Wintergreen Drive and Green Crest Court
• Asphalt paving of the access lane to the Meadows Lift Station off Middle Road
• Water main replacement along parts of Wintergreen Drive, Parkside Drive and Meadow Court

Valentine Construction also won a contract of just under $140,000 for stormwater work at the city's Wastewater Treatment Facility. It repairs drainage and erosion in two drainageways to cut down on sediment during heavy rain. Construction is planned for this fall, with completion expected in early winter.

Looking further ahead, the West Trail Extension is in design. It's meant to connect Forest Hills, Arrowhead and Wedgewood, with construction expected in 2027. The Master Parks Plan approved this spring adds a Seippel Road trail linking Forest Hills and Arrowhead, shade and a half-court at Arrowhead Park, playground and court improvements at Asbury City Park, and two new ballfields. Each of those goes through the city's annual budget review.

Who handles those decisions after December 4

City Administrator Elizabeth "Beth" Bonz retires from full-time work with the city on December 4, 2026. She started with Asbury in 2004. The city credits her with work on budgets, infrastructure, development, annexations, transportation, stormwater management and planning. She served as president of the Iowa City/County Management Association in 2021-22 and received its Joe Lukehart Professional Service Award in 2024.

The newsletter puts it this way: "Municipal government involves much more than what happens at a City Council meeting." That's exactly the kind of work the Radford phase will need: applying for grants, sequencing contracts and fitting a $3.3 million gap into a budget.

The Telegraph Herald reported that the council approved an $18,750 recruitment contract with Theia Management Consulting on June 9. The schedule called for applications from mid-July to mid-August and finalist interviews in mid-September. The October newsletter and the October 13 council materials don't name a successor. Council meetings are where an announcement would show up.

Your November and December dates

Here's the calendar side of all this for the rest of the season:

The trivia night details come from the Dubuque365 events calendar. For yard waste on November 19, get it to the curb by 6:00 a.m. in tagged bags or properly tied bundles, up to 10 per week.

If you're looking for dinner after a day of raking, Lloyd's Pizza Co. is the new spot at 4949 Asbury Road. BizTimes reported it was set to open the week of August 17, with a menu of Neapolitan-style pizza, Italian-inspired appetizers, salads and gelato. Dubuque365's review describes attending its soft opening.

Two winter rules from the city

Snow emergencies. When the city declares a snow emergency, it asks you to get vehicles off the street whenever possible. Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., the odd/even rule applies: park on the odd side of the street on odd-numbered days and the even side on even-numbered days. The city says vehicles parked on the wrong side may be towed at the owner's expense, according to its October 2026 newsletter.

Sewer vacancy credit. If your Asbury home will sit empty for at least two full months in a row this winter, the city offers a credit of $25 a month, up to six months per calendar year. The property owner signs the form and submits it within 30 days of leaving or returning, and the credit shows up within one to two billing cycles after you get back. The form is on the city's Sewer Vacancy Credit page. I'm sharing these as general information, not legal or financial advice, so confirm the details for your own account with the City of Asbury.

Have questions about how the Asbury Road work or the Radford Road plans might affect your street? Let's Connect. I'm happy to talk it through and point you to the right city contact. You can reach me anytime through Sara Post.