Author Archives: Jeff

Oct 03

Iowa’s interstate ‘works of art’

(Related to yesterday, kind of!) October 7, 2013: The I-80 Tiffin westbound rest area’s theme is “Education”. Notice the ISU logo a matter of miles from the U of I campus. (There’s one for UNI too.) The website Roadtrippers has … Continue reading

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Oct 02

New Ames flyover ramp has secret message

You know how ancient peoples like the Vikings left communication methods that we’re still trying to figure out today? This is kind of like that, from the Cretaceous Period of computing otherwise known as the 1970s. In fact, the ramp’s … Continue reading

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Oct 01

Actual fake news about the World’s Largest Cheeto

Despite the Sept. 28 “Saturday Night Live” sketch to the contrary, the World’s Largest Cheeto is not along I-15, but in Algona, Iowa. (At least, at last report?) Or perhaps “biggest” and “largest” are different categories? Fact-checking a comedy show … Continue reading

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Sep 30

Iowa author has Titanic book coming out

(Oooohhhh….two of my favorite subjects in one.) Author/freelance writer Darcy Maulsby has a book coming out about Iowa’s connections to the Titanic, according to this story by KCHA Radio. (“Known author”? As opposed to “Unknown author?”) Maulsby, who previously wrote … Continue reading

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Sep 27

Eastern Iowa US 30 to be Super-2

After considering the possibilities for upgrading the two-lane stretch of US 30 between Lisbon and De Witt, the DOT appears to be settling on…a two-lane stretch of US 30 between Lisbon and De Witt. In a public meeting on the … Continue reading

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Sep 25

Wapello half-exit not without drawbacks

Or, contra my post from May 2018, Wapello bypass plans UN-finalized. It appears I jumped the gun. Completion of the last four-lane stretch of US 61 in Iowa outside Keokuk has been notable for the unwillingness of the two towns … Continue reading

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Sep 24

License Plate Letters — ISV

How, exactly, is the state dividing alphanumeric allocations of blackout vs. standard plates? The newest ones I’ve seen — IQ’s, IR’s, and IS’s — have all been blackout. A Register article about the popularity of the plates said the design … Continue reading

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Sep 23

With flyover open, where are the other not-quite-cloverleafs?

This is a little late, but hey, so was the completion date of the project! The flyover ramp from northbound I-35 to westbound US 30 in Ames opened two days before the Iowa State-Iowa game, alleviating one long-standing traffic headache … Continue reading

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Sep 20

The Big WHAT kickoff?

In yet another attempt by Fox to differentiate itself from ESPN, the early Saturday college football game is getting some higher-profile teams. Let’s ignore for the moment that a talking-head set of Urban Meyer, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Brady Quinn … Continue reading

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Sep 19

US 34 in Ottumwa: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Last month the Iowa DOT had a meeting in Ottumwa to talk about plans for US 34 through the city. Part of it is urban arterial, part of it is super-early freeway style. There are three suggested paths forward (PDFs): … Continue reading

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