The Fort Dodge City Council is expected to begin advancing a North 15th Street project when it meets tonight. But a revised agreement with an engineering firm and other documents prepared for tonight’s council meeting show only a couple of blocks near the intersection of North 15th Street and Second Avenue North being converted to three lanes.

The original proposal released in May called for converting North 15th Street between Second and 20th avenues north to three lanes. That provoked intense and widespread opposition, resulting in larger than normal crowds at council meetings and a petition opposing the move.

The proposal before the council tonight envisions making the street three lanes wide between First Avenue North and Third Avenue North. However, 15th Street is already three lanes between First Avenue South and Second Avenue North. That means the newest proposal would impact just one block between Second Avenue North and Third Avenue North.

The reconstruction of the intersection of Second Avenue North and North 15th Street, which is included in the revised proposal, was never controversial. Even some opponents of converting the road from four lanes to three publicly stated that the intersection job needs to be done.

The council will revisit the North 15th Street project when it meets at 6 p.m. today in the Municipal Building, 819 First Ave. S.

There are three items on the council agenda regarding North 15th Street.

The first is a resolution on accepting a $2 million state grant that will pay most of the cost of redoing the intersection of Second Avenue North and North 15th Street.

The second is an amendment to a contract with Snyder & Associates, the engineering firm that has been working on the project. That contract amendment spells out the scope of the work.

Under that amendment the company will prepare the final plans to:

• Convert the street from four lanes to three lanes between First Avenue North and Third Avenue North.

• Reconstruct the intersection of Second Avenue North and North 15th Street.

• Do concrete patching between Third Avenue North and Seventh Avenue North.

• Improve sidewalk ramps at intersections.

• Install new traffic signals at the intersections with Second, Sixth and Seventh avenues north.

• Update the traffic signals at the intersection with 20th Avenue North.

• Create a fiber optic connection between the traffic signals.

Snyder & Associates, which is based in Ankeny and has an office in Fort Dodge, will be paid $280,900 for that work.

The contract amendment deletes the plan to repave North 15th Street between the bridge and 20th Avenue North. It also deletes the replacement of pavement on the bridge approaches.

The plan to add marked bicycle lanes on North 15th Street was scrapped last month.

Scheduling an Aug. 11 public hearing on acquiring needed right-of-way for the project is the third item on the agenda related to North 15th Street.