Monthly Archives: April 2014

Apr 30

University Avenue construction needed, but not wanted

Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at 4:18 PM by Jeff

KWWL has a(nother) story about the troublesome state of University Avenue — once US 218, now IA 934 — in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. A DOT employee says there are “negotiations” for transferring jurisdiction to the cities. At the same … Continue reading →

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Apr 30

License Plate Letters — CIB

Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, at 10:45 AM by Jeff

I should’ve updated with a CH or two, but never did.

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Apr 29

Arkansas replaced I-540 with I-49

Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at 2:32 PM by Jeff

August 7, 2010:  Every I-540 shield in northwestern Arkansas north of I-40 was removed last week and replaced with I-49. Although there is no connection yet to I-49 in Missouri, and any construction south of I-40 will likely take decades … Continue reading →

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Apr 28

Google adds Street View time machine

Posted on Monday, April 28, 2014, at 12:05 PM by Jeff

This was sort of under the radar, but the Wall Street Journal and CNET picked up on it. Google added something I had wondered about recently: For places that have had the Street View camera go through multiple times, you … Continue reading →

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Apr 26

The secret almost-histories of IA 401 and 412

Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2014, at 1:32 PM by Jeff

The DOT’s document archive is a wealth of information, most of the dry engineering type, but also more about signs and construction maps. Through that, I discovered one thing I never knew and one I wondered about in Iowa’s 400-series … Continue reading →

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Apr 25

Anyone want to buy a bridge?

Posted on Friday, April 25, 2014, at 10:37 AM by Jeff

Tama County is fast losing its few remaining Pratt truss bridges from the beginning of the 20th Century. The latest bridge to be on the chopping block is one locally known as the Chambers Ford bridge, across the Iowa River … Continue reading →

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Apr 24

New York Times discovers evidence of Brewers fans in Iowa

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2014, at 2:49 PM by Jeff

I thought they were a myth! The New York Times has an interactive “Map of Baseball Nation” that uses Facebook (ugh) data to drill down into Major League Baseball fan preferences by ZIP Code. Iowa is pretty much what you … Continue reading →

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Apr 24

I-74 project almost close enough to touch

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2014, at 11:00 AM by Jeff

May 22, 2012: This view of I-74 into Illinois will still be what drivers see until sometime in 2019-20. The Quad-City Times breaks down the current construction timeline  in the five-year plan for the I-74 bridge in an article from Monday. … Continue reading →

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Apr 23

Last weeks at Clearfield school (Hey, that picture looks familiar)

Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at 1:42 PM by Jeff

KMA Radio has a story about the end of the school year approaching for the small southern Iowa district of Clearfield, which will dissolve. The story includes a photo of the school — my photo of the school, which I … Continue reading →

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Apr 22

Altoona’s Archer Motel torn down

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, at 6:28 PM by Jeff

If you’re familiar with Hubbell Avenue heading out of Des Moines, the old, non-chain motels there are a reminder of pre-interstate times, when it was a primary way in and out of town. Three motels were clustered at the intersection … Continue reading →

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