The new ramp from southbound I-29 to westbound I-480 in Council Bluffs opened on Oct. 16, completing the redesigned interchange of the two freeways. KSOM-FM had a news brief before the opening and the Iowa DOT announced it in a Facebook post. For whatever reason, it was not on the DOT’s press release page. The opening came 10 days short of six years after a public meeting about the project.
A video posted on the Iowa DOT’s Facebook page (which is a pain to get to if, like me, you boycott the site as a matter of principle) has drone footage of the new interchange system as part of an explainer of how to navigate the ramps. Notably, the southbound exit is Exit 53, while the northbound exit is Exit 53B. Also on southbound I-29, there’s only one exit to all Council Bluffs points between North 25th and South 24th streets. It’s a redone ramp at the former Avenue G exit that becomes a new frontage road.
As seen in this video from last year, eastbound 480 to eastbound Broadway now requires taking Exit 0, which used to be signed as Dodge Park and is now Riverfront. The new fork for the I-29 ramps does not have exit numbers, but I think they should have been signed as 0B-C (with Riverfront as 0A) or at least 1A-B. The ramp to southbound I-29 has an additional split before the merge into the mainline, with a ramp to 9th Avenue.
Even before the opening of the last ramp, every picture on the Iowa side on my I-480 page became outdated as construction progressed. Sadly, I have no idea when I will be able to get to Council Bluffs again.
The only unfinished construction on the interstates in the Council Bluffs area is I-80 at the Madison Avenue exit on the east side.