The Council Bluffs and Sioux City interstate projects continue to plod along, and a big sign of progress is coming soon in Council Bluffs.<\/p>\n
The Daily Nonpareil<\/em> reports<\/a> the Iowa DOT plans to open the westbound dual divided freeway for I-29\/80 in early spring (assuming, as one must, that spring will come). This means there will be a clear shot from the Mall of the Bluffs exit across the Missouri River for I-80 with only the I-29 exit ramps in between. The state’s page<\/a>, with a video I can’t embed, says the counterpart (eastbound 80\/southbound 29) will open later in the year. See also this PDF.<\/a>\u00a0The Iowa DOT also has a “sponsored feature” online at the Omaha World-Herald<\/em><\/a> that says the overall $1.6 billion, 15-year project is “on schedule and on or under budget.”<\/p>\n There is a safety valve of sorts: Each end of the dual divided freeway will have a ramp from Express I-80 to either direction of I-29. Nebraska is adding a lane to I-80 between 13th Street and US 75 on its side of the river.<\/p>\n The DOT’s Council Bluffs Interstate site has an “online meeting” <\/a>that offers details about the upcoming year’s construction in the area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Council Bluffs and Sioux City interstate projects continue to plod along, and a big sign of progress is coming soon in Council Bluffs. The Daily Nonpareil reports the Iowa DOT plans to open the westbound dual divided freeway for … Continue reading