City officials are preparing for the construction of the roadway that will stretch from U.S. Route 20 to U.S. Route 61/151 in the Southwest Arterial corridor.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) Dubuque officials say they hope to auction off homes and other buildings, rather than demolish them to make way for a roadway construction project.

Public auctions will be held Aug. 13 for six homes and other farm-related structures that must be moved or demolished by Dec. 1, The Telegraph Herald reported.

City officials are preparing for the construction of the roadway that will stretch from U.S. Route 20 to U.S. Route 61/151 in the Southwest Arterial corridor and will bypass the city.

Assistant city engineer Bob Schiesl said the homes are too nice to not try and save.

“We are hoping someone might be interested in the properties, in moving them and relocating them to another property to get some beneficial reuse, or re-purpose the homes, as opposed to deconstructing them,' Schiesl said.

According to Schiesl, it would cost the city about $20,000 to $30,000 per structure to have them deconstructed if no one bids on the properties.

Schiesl said the city has spent more than $9 million to purchase 54 of 56 properties along the Southwest corridor.

The last two properties are expected to be acquired by the city by the end of August.

About 80 percent of the roadway project's estimated cost is covered by federal transportation funds. The rest of the costs are being split by the city of Dubuque and Dubuque County.

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