Author Archives: Jeff

Jun 30

Notes on 2027-31 five-year plan

Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I finally got around to doing a rundown of the big-budget and other interesting items in the 2027-31 Iowa DOT five-year highway plan. Keep in mind that “underfunded” means the DOT hasn’t allocated all the money the project needs, not … Continue reading →

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Jun 25

J-turns to be placed on US 75 in Plymouth County

Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Now we know what the grade-and-pave listing for two intersections on US 75 north of Sioux City in the five-year construction plan is for. The intersections of US 75 with county roads C70 and C80, in Plymouth County, just across … Continue reading →

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Jun 23

Dubuque moving ahead with middle school’s closure

Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Despite the failure of a bond referendum last November, the Dubuque Community School District is moving forward with a plan to close one of its two century-old middle school/junior high facilities and move those students to a much newer building. … Continue reading →

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Jun 19

State Center NOT getting J-turn intersection

Posted on Friday, June 19, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

For at least the third time, the Iowa DOT’s attempt to turn a major intersection into a “J-turn” has been met with vocal displeasure from local residents. In March, KCCI reported that the plans to put a J-turn on US … Continue reading →

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Jun 17

Where Iowa’s newest courthouses actually are

Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 10:06 AM by Jeff

September 28, 2025: The Mitchell County Courthouse in Osage. A recent story about county courthouses says the newest one is in Pottawattamie County in 1978. This is wrong, twice over. Dickinson County built a new courthouse in stages in 2006 … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Where Iowa’s newest courthouses actually are
Jun 15

DOT turning Huxley intersection into roundabout

Posted on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Iowa DOT intends to convert the four-way stop of highways 69 and 210 south of Huxley into a roundabout in 2028. The informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening at Huxley City Hall. This intersection is a mile and … Continue reading →

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Jun 11

Iowa transportation history presentations, part 2

Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I wrote 2200 words about five presentations in Ames on May 1. Well, technically, I wrote whatever percentage of those words are not from quoted material. Here’s the second part, and the story links to a full presentation about “streamliner” … Continue reading →

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Jun 09

Iowa transportation history presentations, part 1

Posted on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Of course I’m going to go all out on writing about FIVE presentations in Ames on May 1 covering various aspects of Iowa roads and rails. I couldn’t contain it to one Substack post!

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous, Iowa Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Iowa transportation history presentations, part 1
Jun 04

Long detour for one ramp in Sioux City

Posted on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The ramp from westbound US 20/southbound US 75 to southbound I-29 closed Tuesday for an estimated two months, KTIV reports. It’s for a bridge deck overlay and barrier replacement. The Iowa DOT’s signed detour takes travelers north on I-29 all … Continue reading →

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Jun 02

Back-to-back Big Boy stories

Posted on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

KTIV has two stories related to the Union Pacific’s Big Boy going through western Iowa on Sunday. The first is about the train’s stop in Carroll. The second, whose video plays after the first, is about maintenance of the train … Continue reading →

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