Those born and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa are no strangers to construction, as the town has continuously grown and expanded over the past few years. A lone Whitey’s Ice Cream and an Eagle’s Grocery no longer serve as the town’s main attractions. The city of Bettendorf has now extended its construction and building out towards Forest Grove Drive and to the Pleasant Valley Junior High. All these new attractions bring much more traffic as well, and with this traffic comes a new solution the solution: a stop light!
One of the more busy streets in Bettendorf is Middle Road. It runs from the cornfields outside of Bettendorf all the way through Davenport, where its name changes to Locust Street. After I-80, the first major street Middle Road runs into is Forest Grove Drive. This area used to be a barren stretch, without much traffic. However, with the population boom that has since hit the Quad Cities, neighborhoods have taken over the corn fields surrounding Forest Grove. This increase in traffic has brought the intersection at Middle and Forest Grove much more traffic along with a much greater chance of car accidents. Thus, the City of Bettendorf was influenced to install a traffic light at the intersection.
For many students that live past the roundabout and off of Forest Grove, this new light brings mixed feelings. Lathan Carter, senior, explained, “I love having the light when I’m driving to school because it makes turning left there much easier, but I hate it when I’m driving home because I have to stop to take a right.” With a little time, Carter, and the city of Bettendorf, believe the light will become more beneficial. “I think when it first came out it was a little dangerous because people coming from the interstate weren’t used to it being there, and there were times when they would fly through the red light when people were making a left turn,” Carter said.
For students like Addie Swanson, senior, who have lived past the intersection their whole lives, the stoplight is a huge change. Swanson said, “It’s convenient if you are turning onto Middle during the rush time in the morning before school and at night around 5-6 o’clock, but other than that it’s a hassle and just an extra stop to worry about if I’m in a hurry.”
Despite the red light waiting, the light brings more security to an area that can be hard to navigate, especially in the dark. To allow the city of Bettendorf to continue to grow and develop safely, the citizens must learn to deal with the effects of our population boom. “A Premier City” is the slogan of Bettendorf, and the growth and prosperity of the city reflect this status.
