Category Archives: Construction

Jul 07

Roundabout coming to Granger

The page for the Iowa DOT meeting announcement just says “proposed safety project” but the result is more insidious: A roundabout is going to be built at the intersection of IA 17 and State Street on the east side of … Continue reading

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Jun 28

I-74 bridge towers go boom

Do you want to see 3½ minutes of the controlled demolition of the old Illinois-bound I-74 bridge towers? Of course you do. Do you want to see a news story about the demolition, which interviews a resident who remembers when … Continue reading

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Jun 23

Ingersoll ‘road diet’ gives businesses indigestion

A streetscape project on Ingersoll Avenue, just west of downtown Des Moines, has been a long time in the making. Now that part of it has been completed, the results are less than hoped for. The Des Moines Register reports … Continue reading

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May 19

US 30 intersection by United school to partially close

The second of two intersections on US 30 between the United school and the IA 17 interchange will be converted to a right-in-right-out intersection within a year. The meeting was in April. The diagram is here. The intersection with T … Continue reading

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May 17

IA 141 project has many parts to avoid one intersection

The DOT is having a meeting Thursday at Jester Park in Granger regarding changes to access to IA 141, with new construction. The plan wouldn’t make the highway controlled-access, but it wouldn’t be uncontrolled access either. The project would take … Continue reading

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May 15

An intersection story and a (written) detour on bridges

One note about a minor intersection in Marshall County has led me to investigate the status of an even more minor location. The Marshall County Board of Supervisors approved turning the intersection of E35 (Main Street Road) and T37 (Zeller … Continue reading

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May 03

Peyton Manning, call your office

The above image comes from an Iowa DOT sign letting contract that is to be let May 16. The contract covers sign trusses and BGS replacement at four key interchanges: Both ends of I-880 and IA 29 at old IA … Continue reading

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May 01

Truss no one

June 19, 2021: The underside of the Iowa approach to the old I-74 bridges. Deconstruction continues on the I-74 Mississippi River bridge following the decision last year not to bring it down with explosives. WQAD has a story about the … Continue reading

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Apr 19

US 30 bridges in C.R. under construction

Now for the worst kind of construction update, the kind that affects me: Bridge deck overlay projects in a couple spots on US 30 in Cedar Rapids west of I-380 will reduce freeway traffic to one lane in both directions. … Continue reading

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Apr 05

Tama County V18 at US 30 closing for paving work

Here’s a small but interesting construction notice from the DOT: V18 at US 30 is closing today “to do concrete paving in the area.” My theory is that it’s related to the old roadbed for 30 that was bypassed with … Continue reading

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