June 12, 2005: This “ghost ramp,” built in 1979 and never used, would have been for (future) southbound US 75 to eastbound US 20. Instead, this area will have its existing ramp removed for a stoplight around where the car is.
For half a century, construction plans and road openings have been geared toward making US 20 across Iowa a faster ride. But there’s a construction plan in the future that will disrupt that, just a bit.
The DOT plans on turning the US 20/US 75 six-ramp not-cloverleaf on the east side of Sioux City into a simple diamond interchange. (PDF from DOT; story on KCAU; story from Sioux City Journal) The interchange was built in 1979 with the objective of eventually becoming a full cloverleaf. However, when the US 75 bypass finally came about in 2001, the stubs were left alone and one of the loops was modified such that traffic had to stop at US 20.
But instead of upgrading the exit, the DOT wants what in my opinion is a downgrade. The plan is to take out the two inner loops and turn the ramp that flows into eastbound 20 into a ramp that serves both eastbound 20 and westbound Business 20 and comes to a stoplight. This will mean that travelers following eastbound 20 will have a stoplight, and westbound 20 will have two stoplights and a left turn.
In addition to changing the interchange, there are plans to smooth out the elevation between eastbound and westbound lanes east of the interchange. The lanes are uneven, though not nearly as much as US 75 in the Hinton area, because the segment is part of 20 built as two lanes in 1954 and “twinned” in 1964.
Dakin Schultz, District 3 transportation planner, told the SCJ, “It’s looking long-term, looking at the future and the growth of Sioux City towards the east.” Part of that is consolidation of area DOT facilities to a new spot at the northeast corner of the interchange. If eastward expansion of Sioux City is in the cards, downgrading the interchange and thus slowing down traffic does make some sense.
In other Sioux City news, KSCJ radio reports the DOT is “moving forward to develop a plan” to replace the Gordon Drive Viaduct. The core of the viaduct dates back to 1937, and we’ll just have to see if it reaches its centennial before its replacement is ready.