The Iowa Department of Transportation has presented the City of Newton with a new five-year maintenance agreement for U.S. Highway 6, otherwise known as First Avenue, which runs east and west through the middle of town. 

Every five years, the Iowa Department of Transportation presents cities with an agreement for the maintenance and repair of primary highways through those cities. The proposed new five-year agreement for U.S. Highway 6 would be effective from July 1st of this year through June 30, 2031. It states the City of Newton would be responsible for the maintenance of U.S. Highway 6 within the corporate limits of Newton. In general, that means the city would handle snow and ice removal, and be responsible for maintaining the pavement, storm sewer, and trees along the highway. In return, Newton receives an annual payment each year from the Iowa Department of Transportation. For Fiscal Year 2027, that maintenance payment would be $22,101.38. The remaining four years of annual payments will be determined by that year’s state-set standard maintenance rate. 

Approval of the new U.S. Highway 6 maintenance agreement is on the agenda for Monday night’s Newton City Council meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall.