Category Archives: Construction

Jul 19

Boone portion of US 30 has freeway potential

The DOT had a public meeting June 23 about long-term plans to convert US 30 between Boone and the Lincoln Way exits into a full freeway. This is in keeping with plans to do the same on 30 between Ames … Continue reading

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Jul 14

Notes on 2024-28 DOT five-year plan: Polk County

Final segment of the 2024-28 construction plan, approved last month: A segment of I-80 east of the northeast mixmaster to US 65, with construction in 2025-27, is mistakenly labeled as I-35 again this year. There is a separate line for … Continue reading

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Jul 12

Notes on 2024-28 DOT five-year plan: I-80

Continuing analysis of the 2024-28 five-year plan: Completion of the Council Bluffs Interstate System project is forecast to wrap up in 2024, with construction at both the I-29/I-480 interchange and the I-80 Madison Avenue exit. I-80 east of US 169 … Continue reading

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Jul 10

Notes on 2024-28 DOT five-year plan

Yes, very delayed, for reasons. The Iowa Transportation Commission approved the latest five-year road construction plan in June. Its press release covers the biggest points, but I want to look deeper into some of them, especially the bigger-dollar projects. Years … Continue reading

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Jul 07

Roundabout coming to Granger

The page for the Iowa DOT meeting announcement just says “proposed safety project” but the result is more insidious: A roundabout is going to be built at the intersection of IA 17 and State Street on the east side of … Continue reading

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Jun 28

I-74 bridge towers go boom

Do you want to see 3½ minutes of the controlled demolition of the old Illinois-bound I-74 bridge towers? Of course you do. Do you want to see a news story about the demolition, which interviews a resident who remembers when … Continue reading

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Jun 23

Ingersoll ‘road diet’ gives businesses indigestion

A streetscape project on Ingersoll Avenue, just west of downtown Des Moines, has been a long time in the making. Now that part of it has been completed, the results are less than hoped for. The Des Moines Register reports … Continue reading

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May 19

US 30 intersection by United school to partially close

The second of two intersections on US 30 between the United school and the IA 17 interchange will be converted to a right-in-right-out intersection within a year. The meeting was in April. The diagram is here. The intersection with T … Continue reading

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May 17

IA 141 project has many parts to avoid one intersection

The DOT is having a meeting Thursday at Jester Park in Granger regarding changes to access to IA 141, with new construction. The plan wouldn’t make the highway controlled-access, but it wouldn’t be uncontrolled access either. The project would take … Continue reading

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May 15

An intersection story and a (written) detour on bridges

One note about a minor intersection in Marshall County has led me to investigate the status of an even more minor location. The Marshall County Board of Supervisors approved turning the intersection of E35 (Main Street Road) and T37 (Zeller … Continue reading

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