Author Archives: Jeff

Aug 15

Mixmaster meeting focuses on I-80 east of interchange

Information on another stage of the Northeast Mixmaster was released online and in a public meeting August 9. This project is about expanding I-80 between I-35 and US 65. The PDFs are here. The expansions shown in the “full build” … Continue reading

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Aug 12

The names of the BCR&M live on

October 12, 2021: Two intersections in Walker, in northern Linn County. Ely has streets named Dows, Rowley, Traer, and Walker. Walker has streets named Dows, Ely, Greene, Rowley, and Traer. Mount Auburn has a Traer Street. Rowley has a (very short) Ely … Continue reading

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on The names of the BCR&M live on
Aug 10

We’re not getting the tram back, are we?

The Iowa State Fair killed off the interior tram last year, said nothing about it coming back, and kept the official website on a “safety protocols” wording that might have passed last year but not now. It’s up to a … Continue reading

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Aug 08

I-74 bridge has different type of lane markers

Last month, WQAD did a story about the lane markers on the I-74 bridge. Each white line has a black counterpart and is called “contrast marking”. The story says the Iowa DOT is planning to add this type of marking … Continue reading

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Aug 03

Public meetings on two big projects coming up

A project 40 years in the making and project that only seems like it will have been 40 years in the making are in line for Iowa DOT public meetings in the next week. An in-person hearing on the US … Continue reading

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Aug 01

‘Iowa is the most Midwestern state in the union’

If you’ve read the book, or walked/drove around last week (this week not so much), you already know that the Midwest is God’s gift to Planet Earth. But, in a region spanning from the Badlands to Appalachian Ohio, how can … Continue reading

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Jul 29

Two new ‘corridor preservation zones’ assigned

The Iowa DOT has put out a “corridor preservation notice” for two areas along four-lane roads. “Corridor preservation is a tool the Iowa DOT uses to preserve land for future highway needs,” the press releases say. One location is an interchange … Continue reading

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Jul 27

Eldora school demolished 15 years after closure

Every once in a while for a long time I would check the Eldora newspaper’s website to see if there was any progress on demolition of the 1916-17 school building. Nothing kept happening, so I let it slide. But after … Continue reading

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Jul 25

A RAGBRAI database, with some assistance

June 19, 1977/October 3, 2010: A daily map for RAGBRAI V, photographed from microfilm. The 1977 and 2022 routes share some similarities, including an overnight stop in Ida Grove, a route south of US 18 from Whittemore to New Hampton, … Continue reading

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Jul 22

Algona, Lu Verne consolidation in final stretch

A vote in September will turn what 25 years ago had been five official school districts, and 2½ high schools, into the largest one-high-school consolidated district in Iowa. Algona and Lu Verne have spent the past year going through the … Continue reading

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