Category Archives: Construction

Nov 25

Hickman Road exit to become diverging diamond

The Hickman Road (US 6) exit on I-35/80 will be turned into a diverging diamond interchange by the end of the decade, according to Iowa DOT plans. KCCI has a story. The DOT website blessedly has PDFs available following the … Continue reading

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Nov 14

Benton County US 30 update

This is the second blog post covering news from the Nov. 1 Benton County Supervisors meeting. The Star Press Union (via Jim Magdefrau, who also writes on his personal website) has a recap. Then he had a later update from the county … Continue reading

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Nov 11

Historic Shellsburg bridge will be bypassed

May 16, 2017: A marker for Shellsburg depicts the bridge right behind it, at the south end of the business district. The Nov. 1 Benton County Supervisors meeting had some updates from the county engineer that affect noteworthy locations. The … Continue reading

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Nov 03

I-380 unifying southbound Exit 0

This morning, southbound I-380 Exit 0A and 0B became Exit 0. After a few months where the exit for Iowa City came before the exit for Des Moines, the two exit points are unified. Now all traffic exiting to I-80 … Continue reading

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Oct 26

A ‘reduced-conflict intersection’ by any other name

The Iowa DOT’s “Transportation Matters” blog has a post extolling the virtues of a new type of intersection southeast of Fort Dodge. It is a new type of intersection in Iowa, but it’s not the first time one like this … Continue reading

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Oct 14

IA 17 construction prolonged

What was originally promised as a 15-month construction project appears to have been extended to two full construction seasons. In March 2021, the closure of IA 17 east of Boone was announced. At the time, it was expected to be … Continue reading

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Oct 10

Build for nine, stripe for four

An I-80 construction project in Cedar County is designed for the long-term future. The Oct. 18 DOT letting includes both bridges over Sugar Creek. That’s between the IA 38 exits, by the rest areas. This is one of the two … Continue reading

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Oct 05

Old I-74 bridge won’t go out with a bang

Deconstructing the twin spans that carried I-74 over the Mississippi River is going to be a seven-year job. Big blasts are not planned to be part of the process. KWQC and WQAD have news stories, neither of which I can … Continue reading

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Sep 28

Tama Lincoln Highway bridge contract to be let

June 17, 2022: The slab edge on the north rail of the Lincoln Highway bridge (under the letters) shows severe wear and is one of the areas slated to get work done. The Iowa DOT is playing a role in … Continue reading

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Sep 14

Another one bites the truss

A century-plus-old pony truss bridge in Carroll County has reached the end of its useful life. Its birth was one of the inspirations for standardization in Iowa construction. KCIM-AM reports that the Carroll County supervisors plan to replace the Storm … Continue reading

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