The final segment of US 61 to be four-laned in Iowa is in Louisa and Des Moines counties, and with the segment north of IA 92 under construction, Mediapolis is the last town on the route to be bypassed.
Unlike previous bypasses, where either end of the old road often has an intersection with the four-lane, the state intends to make the H38 interchange on the west side of Mediapolis the only way in or out from 61. Local officials are worried about how this will affect emergency responses.
The decision to have one interchange at Mediapolis was made after meetings back in September 2012. Construction on the bypass, part of a new four-lane that will be on a mostly new alignment from the north side of Burlington to north of IA 78, won’t happen until the 2020s. The rest of the four-lane should open sooner.