Jun 16

Madison County Courthouse

Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

It’s not my best courthouse picture, but it’s a clear winter sunset in Winterset. January 10, 2012.

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Jun 16

I-74 Exit 1 now a six-ramp interchange

Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012, at 12:31 AM by Jeff

Two loops at 53rd Street opened Friday.

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Jun 15

US 20 construction in Sioux City

Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012, at 2:26 PM by Jeff

KCAU update from a week ago. I know it’s old, but there’s a video showing work on the volleyball interchange. The story is about ramps closing at I-29/US 20.

Slightly more recent is this Sioux City Journal story from the 12th about future work in Woodbury County.

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Jun 15

What’s NOT in the highway plan

Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012, at 1:57 PM by Jeff

Plans for four-laning US 63 south of Ottumwa had made it to the design stage, but construction or preparation for construction is not in the new five-year program.

The Ottumwa-to-Kirksville segment will remain two lanes for the foreseeable future.

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Jun 14

Tama County in the highway plan

Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2012, at 1:25 PM by Jeff

The IA 21 bridge over Wolf Creek is scheduled to be replaced in 2017. That’s all. The big infusion of money came with the US 30 work that is now complete.

The good news is that the Benton County plan includes preparation for four-laning US 30 from US 218 westward to IA 21. The style and location for an interchange at the former is still being discussed (the Youngville Cafe has to be protected) and there will also be a diamond interchange at the latter.

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Jun 13

45 percent

Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at 12:49 PM by Jeff


I-610 around Houston, January 29, 2012

The first 20,000 miles are the easiest.

According to Clinched Highway Mapping, I have now traveled approximately 45% of the entire interstate highway system in the United States.

To put into perspective how difficult the remaining 55% will be to reach, let me put it this way: The new interstate mileage required to reach the 50% threshold is greater than my untraveled mileage in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin combined.

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Jun 13

ISU sideswipes continue

Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at 10:20 AM by Jeff

Last week, it came on the basketball court, as ESPN blogger Eamon Brennan ranks the coaching jobs. Iowa State was eighth of ten in the Big 12.

The harsh winters might detract recruits and, even though it features the Big 12’s best restaurant in Hickory Park, Ames isn’t one of the country’s most happenin’ towns.

Most of the Big 12 has warm-weather (or at least not freezing cold) locations for basketball — and I must admit, it’s nice to walk to a game in short sleeves — but come on. Columbia is going to be the coldest city in the SEC, and Brennan had nothing but praise there. Iowa City’s identical to Ames in climate, and the Nebraska job is ranked 11th out of 12 on the Big Ten list, but there are no weather swipes there aside from saying Minneapolis “is a great city but a freezing cold one.”

We get it already. A whole bunch of people think the state of Iowa, and/or Iowa State in particular, is a pockmark on the vast wasteland of the Great Flyover that is lucky to have running water, let alone Internet access, and when teams graciously (or otherwise) keep Ames on the schedule we should thank our “betters” every chance we can. They don’t have to keep saying it.

This is a timed post.
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Jun 12

I-74 bridge moved to 2018

Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, at 2:00 AM by Jeff

The Quad-City Times says Iowa and Illinois have ironed out their differences and that the Iowa DOT will prepare for putting money in a time frame just past the current five-year plan. Note that the headline reflects fiscal 2018, which begins July 1, 2017, but who knows if that summer would see any work.

The younger span of the existing I-74 bridges will be 60 years old in November 2019.

This is a timed post.
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Jun 12

Unclear on the Concept Dept.

Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, at 12:43 AM by Jeff

Mitt Romney’s “Every Town Counts” bus tour across six states “with a focus on small towns” will stop in the third-largest city in Iowa.

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Jun 11

I-380 construction possibilities

Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The DOT last month unveiled a host of possibilities for upgrading and improving I-380 in the Cedar Rapids area. Here’s a summary of the design ideas for the interchanges. The most notable point is that all of the smaller interchanges have a “diverging diamond” as an option. However, the overview document says “there is currently no funding in place for design or construction of recommended concepts.”

All of the PDF links below WILL expire at some point. This is merely explaining that information in text form. Working south to north: Continue reading →

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