At the beginning of February 2018, a Love’s Travel Center opened at the I-29/US 34 interchange, the only truck stop between the IA 2 exit and Council Bluffs.
Thirteen and fourteen months later, two “bomb cyclones” — the Midwestern equivalent of a nor’easter, according to a story from CNN, reprinted at WHO — whacked the Missouri River valley. Unusually large snowfalls for April accompanied rain and melting snow to cause massive flooding in western Iowa. Hamburg drowned. The practically-brand-new Love’s was flooded out (bottom of page).
Now, I-29 is open (DOT status PDF) but there are no open exits between IA 2 and US 34. US 34 is closed across the Missouri River. So even if the truck stop rebuilt and reopened at warp speed, there would be fewer travelers patronizing it for a long time.
So it won’t. The Glenwood Opinion-Tribune reported last week that the company has “no immediate plans” to reopen the truck stop, putting a huge dent in Mills County’s hope to turn the area into a business park.
A story about a month ago on WOWT about Pacific Junction, the nearest town to the exit, said residents would be told if they could return to their homes, but some may not want to. (Also see the still of the long-closed school, surrounded by water just like the rest of the town.)