Coralville and North Liberty want to finish Forevergreen Road, and the work in progress now covers the outer edges of the gap. Phase 1 extends the road from two roundabouts that already exist, one at 12th Avenue near North Central Junior High and one at 1st Avenue and Forevergreen Road. It is scheduled to run from summer 2026 to fall 2027. The stretch between those two new legs, along with a planned roundabout at Naples Avenue, belongs to later phases. Only the first of those later phases has a funding request attached.
That changes how to read the construction near North Liberty Road this fall. When Phase 1 finishes, the road will reach farther from each roundabout. But the through route from 1st Avenue to 12th Avenue that the project exists to build depends on money that hasn't been secured yet.
| Phase | Stretch | Money behind it | Timing or lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1W | East from 12th Avenue to Kelsey Lane | $2.5 million in federal Community Project Funding, shared across Phase 1 | Summer 2026 to fall 2027 |
| 1E | 0.3 miles west from the 1st Avenue/Forevergreen Road roundabout | Same Phase 1 funding | Summer 2026 to fall 2027 |
| 2 | Eastern stretch toward Naples | $3 million federal request submitted | Next in line |
| 3 | Toward Naples from the west | Not yet funded | Follows Phase 2 |
| 4 | Roundabout at Naples Avenue | Not yet funded | North Liberty leads construction |
A Seven-Mile Road With a 1.3-Mile Hole
The gap is small next to the whole corridor. In a July 28, 2026 announcement, the City of Coralville described the job as the final 1.3 miles of Forevergreen Road. Once that piece is built, the road becomes a 7.3-mile arterial street running from the Dubuque Street interchange on Interstate 80 to the Forevergreen Road interchange on Interstate 380. The connection appears in the Iowa City Urbanized Area Arterial Street Plan and on the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County's Federally Funded Transportation Infrastructure Needs List.
The cost doesn't scale with the length. The city puts the full construction estimate at $20 million. Phase 1 has $2.5 million. That makes Phase 1 about one-eighth of the projected construction budget. It's the portion that could be paid for first, and it isn't sized as one quarter of a four-phase job. CBS2 reported in July 2025 that officials were looking for funding for the remaining phases and that the full corridor could take years to finish.
According to The Gazette, the Phase 1 money came from a federal Community Project Funding grant awarded in 2023. The city credits U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks with securing that $2.5 million. Her office has also submitted a $3 million request for Phase 2. In July, the city said it was pursuing additional funding for Phase 2.
What Phase 1 Actually Puts on the Ground
Each Phase 1 leg starts at an intersection drivers already use.
On the west side, Phase 1W runs east from 12th Avenue to Kelsey Lane. The Gazette reported that the first round of work would extend Forevergreen Road east from North Central Junior High, near the existing roundabout there.
On the east side, Phase 1E runs 0.3 miles west from the roundabout at 1st Avenue and Forevergreen Road. The cities scheduled their groundbreaking for July 29 at 2871 North Liberty Road NE. The directions told guests to take the west leg of that roundabout.
Phase 1 is more than pavement. The Gazette reported that the project also plans sidewalks, streetlights and landscaping. Coralville hired Shive-Hattery to design this first phase under an agreement capped at $358,000. At its December 23, 2025 meeting, the City Council approved a $242,359.60 payment to the firm for Phase 1 engineering services. At the council's April 14, 2026 meeting, city staff said Coralville planned to take bids for Phase 1 in May. Staff described Phase 1 as a leg at each end of the gap, built together with North Liberty.
Put the two legs side by side and you get the outside-in pattern. Phase 1W stops at Kelsey Lane. Phase 1E stops 0.3 miles in from 1st Avenue. Everything between them waits for Phases 2 through 4.
Naples Avenue Is Where the Gap Closes
The later phases all point toward one spot. The Gazette described Phase 2 as the eastern stretch to Naples and Phase 3 as the stretch heading toward Naples from the west. Phase 4 is a roundabout at Naples Avenue, with North Liberty as the lead agency on that construction.
That sets the order of work after fall 2027. The $3 million request covers Phase 2, so the east side, continuing on from the 1E leg, is next. The west side beyond Kelsey Lane comes after that, followed by the roundabout that ties the two halves together. All three of those phases were unfunded in The Gazette's reporting. The city's latest announcement names only Phase 2 as the subject of an active funding effort.
The partnership determines how the bill gets split as each phase is funded. The Gazette reported that Coralville and North Liberty signed a 28E agreement, a contract between governmental entities, to divide the cost of all construction and design work for the extension evenly. So no matter which city's roundabout or segment comes next, both city budgets pay an equal share.
Why the Middle Matters to People on Either Side
The case for finishing the road comes from the cities themselves. In CBS2's coverage, local leaders said the full corridor would improve access to major employers, neighborhoods and both interstates. The city said the completed extension would ease traffic congestion, open new development opportunities and give the growing metro a crucial east-west connection.
Each of those benefits depends on a continuous road. A longer stub west of 1st Avenue or east of 12th Avenue changes access near those roundabouts. It doesn't create the east-west link between the I-380 interchange and Dubuque Street. Coralville's own newsletter says the project "will eventually complete the connection of Forevergreen Road between 1st Avenue and 12th Avenue."
If you live in north Coralville or on the south edge of North Liberty, the date to watch is less fall 2027, when Phase 1 is projected to finish, and more the day the Phase 2 request gets an answer. That decision sets when work can move from the 1E leg toward Naples Avenue.
Around the Roundabouts This Season
Phase 1 has a few effects you can see during the November commute:
- The east-side sidewalk at the 12th Avenue and Forevergreen Road roundabout is closed for the full length of the project, according to the city's October 29, 2026 newsletter. If you walk or bike through that intersection, plan a different route until Phase 1 wraps up.
- Phase 1 construction is projected to run into fall 2027, so the work near North Central Junior High and on the west leg of the 1st Avenue roundabout will continue through winter and the 2027 construction season.
- Status updates appear in Coralville's "Hard Hat Highlights" section of the city newsletter. The latest edition is on the City of Coralville newsletter page, and the Forevergreen Road Extension project page holds the project background.
- You can sign up for city updates at coralville.org/notifyme and choose the topics you care about.
Project questions have two named contacts. Scott Larson, Coralville's City Engineer, takes them at [email protected]. In North Liberty, Community Relations Director Nick Bergus handles them at [email protected].
If you're trying to judge how a future Forevergreen connection could change your commute or your street near 12th Avenue, Kelsey Lane or North Liberty Road, Case Group Realty can go through the phase map with you and keep an eye on the Phase 2 funding decision. Work With Us.
