On Tuesday night, there will be a meeting in Tama to go over proposed improvements to US 63 from US 6 to Tama. That is one portion of a larger package of changes from US 6 to Hudson. There is a VERY LARGE PDF containing detailed maps of climbing/passing lanes and changes to turn lanes along that 50-mile stretch. This is the continuation of work I mentioned in March 2020.
In the proposal, 63 from E64 to E69 in southern Tama County would be nearly all three lanes, but not the same three lanes: Each direction would have two separate climbing lanes, broken up only by a bridge and culvert.
The entire segment was originally paved in 1930 and all of it has had a thorough rebuild at least once (see this February blog post). This project will put a new layer of asphalt on the road in Poweshiek County and a new layer of concrete on the road in Tama County.
Under the current five-year plan, the segment from 6 to Tama is programmed for FY 2024 (the second half of next year); Toledo to E29 in 2025; and Traer to Hudson in 2027. This means the segment from E29 to Traer isn’t in yet, but my guess would be 2029. A detour for the south segment will use US 30, IA 146, and US 6.
Upgrading 63 to a Super 2 is the preferred option over a four-lane road, which would be an awkward situation given the 7-mile east-west segment. That provides me an extremely flimsy hook to something I did long ago*: A fictional exit list for a superhighway that never existed, created with something that’s been blocked on browsers for years. There was a superhighway proposed between Waterloo and Ottumwa in the late 1950s, but only a two-lane segment north of IA 8 was ever built. That became part of IA 21 instead, and I will note that a sign replacement project fixed one of the issues I mentioned in 2007.