Louisa County became the 61st county in the state to have a rural four-lane highway segment when last year’s upgrade to US 61 opened from the Muscatine County line to south of Grandview. Now, as part of the last step for the US 61 corridor — and most complicated environmentally — the DOT has set its “preferred alternative” for a four-lane segment running from north of IA 78 to south of IA 92 (PDF). This includes a bypass of Wapello and a new bridge across the Iowa River paralleling the existing one.
The bypass plan blocks off either end of existing 61 in favor of a single exit on the west side of Wapello. It also blocks off J Avenue, part of an ancient (pre-1932 paving) alignment of 61 that went nearer downtown Wapello and crossed the river there (the IA 99 bridge) before heading north to Grandview.
Recent personal experience on this stretch of US 61, my first in over a decade, confirms the necessity of a four-lane road for this corridor. It may also, indirectly, explain why RAGBRAI has only ever been to Wapello and Mediapolis once each (1979 and 2000).
On a related note, from the Burlington Hawk Eye, grading is being done between the north side of Burlington and Mediapolis that will include a partial relocation of the new four-lane 61.