Monthly Archives: December 2014

Dec 15

$1B estimate to six-lane major rural interstates

Posted on Monday, December 15, 2014, at 10:43 AM by Jeff

Currently, the Iowa DOT is pouring tens of millions of dollars into upgrading urban interstate systems in Council Bluffs and Sioux City. I-80 in Iowa City has been upgraded to six lanes, and the complete rebuild of I-235 in Des … Continue reading →

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Dec 12

No automatic waivers to start school in August

Posted on Friday, December 12, 2014, at 5:58 PM by Jeff

“Effective immediately, the department will no longer automatically grant waivers of the school start date requested under Iowa (law) for the 2015-2016 school year.” Big move. Stories: Gazette, Register (AP), KCCI. It was one thing to get waivers starting school the … Continue reading →

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Dec 12

Courier features North Tama’s “Plus 1” Mondays

Posted on Friday, December 12, 2014, at 10:40 AM by Jeff

This year, the North Tama school district is not following a standard school calendar. Every other Monday is a “Plus 1” “enrichment session.” Regular classes aren’t held, and students spend more time than a regular class period on various activities. … Continue reading →

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Dec 11

Fool me three times, shame on…?

Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2014, at 10:30 AM by Jeff

December 6, 2012: Cheerleaders and pom squads from both sides perform before the Iowa-ISU women’s basketball game. In 2010, with some decent hopes for the 16th-ranked ISU women’s basketball team, I went to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time to see … Continue reading →

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Dec 10

Three changes needed for the 2015 Iowa highway map

Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2014, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

Next spring, Iowa will publish its first two-year map under a cost-cutting measure. There won’t be another one until 2017. Along with the new US 34 bridge, there are at least three other areas that need modification.    Tama County … Continue reading →

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Dec 09

Benton County US 30 meeting Wednesday

Posted on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

We might find out tomorrow night what the DOT plans to do at the intersection of US 30 and 218 in Benton County as part of its plans to upgrade 30 to four lanes heading westward. At the last meeting, … Continue reading →

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Dec 08

License Plate Letters — CZR

Posted on Monday, December 8, 2014, at 10:52 AM by Jeff

The sighting of a CZ-series plate in early December is a good bookend for 2014, and also signifies that it took 32 months for the first three letters of the alphabet to be run through. Remember, the letter-number combinations replaced … Continue reading →

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Dec 07

Iowa State ties Rutgers in all-time losses

Posted on Sunday, December 7, 2014, at 12:49 PM by Jeff

Because getting so humiliated in front of a national, undivided, broadcast TV audience that the opponent kneeled inside the 10-yard line with 5 minutes to go wasn’t enough. Oh no. Now comes the statistical part. Paul Rhoads has become mired in … Continue reading →

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Dec 06

Major design changes coming to Iowa highway signage

Posted on Saturday, December 6, 2014, at 10:17 AM by Jeff

Nov. 27, 2006: The then-new Ansborough Avenue interchange in Waterloo shows two signage trends that have become and are becoming standard in Iowa in the 2010s: Larger initial letters and skinny, squat arrows. The first appearance of non-Iowa-style traffic arrows … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous, Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Major design changes coming to Iowa highway signage
Dec 04

Eagle Grove loses its stoplight

Posted on Thursday, December 4, 2014, at 10:16 AM by Jeff

The Eagle Grove Eagle reported at the beginning of November that the stoplight at Broadway and Commercial (IA 17 and C54) no longer functions. The equipment is a quarter-century old and would need to be replaced. The intersection will be … Continue reading →

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