Author Archives: Jeff

May 05

2015 Iowa highway map released online

Posted on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Two months later than expected, the official state transportation map is available through iowadotmaps.com. Changes are minimal, but Tama County had a few of them. The Iowa Juvenile Home is no longer marked. The Tama-Toledo “urban area” is no longer … Continue reading →

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May 04

Options out for major makeover of IA 141 interchange

Posted on Monday, May 4, 2015, at 10:37 AM by Jeff

Back in ancient times (the 1970s), “Rider Corner” was a modest rural trumpet interchange on I-35/80, named after the railroad siding at Meredith Drive. Now, it’s a bustling suburban area, with a SuperTarget nearby and an underpowered four-lane to the … Continue reading →

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May 02

Marshalltown makes the Onion

Posted on Saturday, May 2, 2015, at 10:23 AM by Jeff

Iowa Restaurant Patron Can Remember Every Breakfast Ruined By Presidential Candidates America’s Finest News Source made a slight misstep with the Nixon reference, as Iowa’s “first in the nation” caucuses didn’t become A Thing until 1976.

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Marshalltown makes the Onion
May 01

One motel down, one to go up on US 20

Posted on Friday, May 1, 2015, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Sioux City Journal‘s Tim Gallagher drove US 20 recently to check out a motel being torn down near Correctionville, and mentioned one planned for US 20/59 at Holstein. Mom-and-pop motels are nowhere near as prevalent as they used to … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on One motel down, one to go up on US 20
Apr 30

I should get this shirt

Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2015, at 4:13 PM by Jeff

As seen at the Madison roadgeek meet earlier this month (because stereotypes happen): (link)

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Apr 30

Bus travel challenges rural school districts

Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2015, at 10:26 AM by Jeff

Story from Iowa Farmer Today. Busing, both in terms of time for students and gasoline costs, has significant effects on rural districts’ budgets.

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Apr 29

Google kills Classic Maps

Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, at 10:07 AM by Jeff

You know how, when new products come out that are worse than the old ones, or are incompatible, or are inextricably linked with “the cloud”, or just plain don’t do what the old one does, the rebuttal is “you don’t … Continue reading →

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Apr 28

No US 30 Tama-Benton work until 2020

Posted on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at 10:50 AM by Jeff

This isn’t an unexpected situation, given that the 2014-19 plan did not have any entries for it, but finishing making US 30 four lanes in Tama and Benton counties won’t start until 2020 at the earliest, reports the Cedar Valley … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on No US 30 Tama-Benton work until 2020
Apr 27

Aggregation of Iowa counties’ presidential election trends

Posted on Monday, April 27, 2015, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

The title above is a nonpartisan version of a Washington Post blog entry, “The Democrats’ white-voter problem — in 2 maps”. The two maps in question are county-by-county preferences for the last four presidential elections (two won by G.W. Bush, … Continue reading →

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Apr 25

Impending loss of school weighs on Gladbrook

Posted on Saturday, April 25, 2015, at 10:14 AM by Jeff

The Waterloo Courier had a piece Sunday interviewing Gladbrook residents and business owners about what they thought was going to happen to the town after the school closes next month. Some acknowledged what Gladbrook is up against, but the paragraph of no-comments says … Continue reading →

Posted in Tama County | Comments Off on Impending loss of school weighs on Gladbrook