Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
WASHINGTON STREET DIVERTERS
WASHINGTON STREET DIVERTERS. Circular concrete islands designed to eliminate truck traffic from a residential area, the diverters appeared years later as the popular ROUNDABOUT. In May 1975, the Dubuque City Council approved the controversial installation of traffic diverters on Washington Street at the intersections of 15th, 16th, 18th, and 19th STREETS. The diverters costing $16,185 were meant to prevent truck traffic through the residential area. (1) Cars, due to their smaller size, would be able to make the tight turn necessary to circle around the obstacles.
Council approval came as a result of intense lobbying. Residents of the neighborhood found themselves surrounded by industrial development. Objections to the diverters were made by workers at the DUBUQUE PACKING COMPANY and neighborhood businessmen.
In 1977 Mayor Emil "Mike" STAKIS proposed re-evaluating the diverters to determine whether they should be kept. (2) The diverters were still in place in 2024.
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Source:
1. "Washington Diverter Views Evenly Diversified," Telegraph Herald, April 17, 1977, p. 8
2. Ibid.