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Committee recommends pausing pursuit of Highway 28 jurisdictional transfer; council votes to table action

5960017 · October 17, 2025

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Summary

A citizen committee reviewing Norwalk’s Envision 2035 goal to assume jurisdiction of Highway 28 recommended not to pursue transfer now because state policy prevents piecemeal adoption and adjacent jurisdictions were not interested. Council voted to take no action at this time and to revisit when conditions change.

A committee assembled to evaluate Norwalk’s Envision 2035 objective of taking jurisdiction of the segment of Highway 28 that runs through the city reported a unanimous recommendation on Oct. 16 not to pursue transferring control now.

Council member Coole, who formed the committee, said the state has a policy that prevents adoption of highway sections that would “cut off” other jurisdictions unless adjacent jurisdictions participate. The city contacted Warren County and the City of Des Moines; staff reported both were not interested in adopting adjacent sections under current conditions, making a transfer unlikely.

Committee members also recommended pursuing alternatives to achieve the committee’s goals, including partnering with neighboring jurisdictions on new access routes or corridors that could spur economic development and be presented to regional planning authorities for endorsement.

The council voted to accept the committee’s recommendation and to take no action on transferring Highway 28 at this time. The motion passed on a roll call vote; council directed staff to revisit the idea in the future if adjacent jurisdictions or state policy change.