Iowa Notes

[iowahighways]

The new flyover ramp from SB I-380 to EB I-80 opened last Friday. The old ramp from SB I-380 to WB I-80 is still in use for now.
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/traffic-alert-new-i-380-sb-to-i-80-eb-flyover-ramp-set-to-open

[DandyDan]

I just noticed tonight on my way to and from work in Clear Lake that they now have Incident Bypass signs for I-35 on County road B35 (4th Avenue S. in Clear Lake and locally called Old 106). The northbound Incident Bypass route turns north at Eisenhower Avenue in Mason City. Just curious if this continues north to Minnesota and south to Des Moines.

[SSOWorld]

Incident Bypass is a consistent thing for IowaDOT.  (Used to be Emergency Detour - with orange signs) 80 and 380 are heavily emphasized in the busy sections around CR and IC as well as the Quads.

[Molandfreak]

I just noticed tonight on my way to and from work in Clear Lake that they now have Incident Bypass signs for I-35 on County road B35 (4th Avenue S. in Clear Lake and locally called Old 106). The northbound Incident Bypass route turns north at Eisenhower Avenue in Mason City. Just curious if this continues north to Minnesota and south to Des Moines.

In Worth County, part of it is signed "alternate route to I-35"  to match the Minnesota portion of the emergency bypass.

[iowahighways]

The new flyover ramp from SB I-380 to EB I-80 opened last Friday. The old ramp from SB I-380 to WB I-80 is still in use for now.
https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/traffic-alert-new-i-380-sb-to-i-80-eb-flyover-ramp-set-to-open

And as of yesterday, the new SB I-380 to WB I-80 ramp has opened: https://www.thegazette.com/news/new-ramp-opening-at-i-80-i-380-interchange/

[triplemultiplex]

Very nice. I'll be needing that ramp in a couple weeks.

[iowahighways]

I-29 traffic in both directions near the I-480 interchange has been moved onto frontage roads in order to reconstruct the mainline of I-29, while both new exit ramps from eastbound I-480 to I-29 have opened as of last week. Traffic not going to Council Bluffs is being routed onto I-880 and I-80. Meanwhile, I-480 traffic no longer continues on West Broadway past I-29; West Broadway traffic now uses the Riverfront exit just before I-29. (Source: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2022/11/update-interstate-changes-happening-in-council-bluffs.html)

Also, the new interchange of the Avenue of the Saints and US 218 north in Floyd is opening to east/southbound traffic this Tuesday. It will open to west/northbound traffic in the fall of 2023. (Source: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2022/11/traffic-patterns-will-change-at-the-intersection-of-us-18us-218iowa-27-at-floyd-county-road-t-44-sou.html)

[Fredddie]

Also, the new interchange of the Avenue of the Saints and US 218 north in Floyd is opening to east/southbound traffic this Tuesday. It will open to west/northbound traffic in the fall of 2023. (Source: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2022/11/traffic-patterns-will-change-at-the-intersection-of-us-18us-218iowa-27-at-floyd-county-road-t-44-sou.html)

They didn't really waste any time building that. I was up that way in August and only the grade separation and maybe a bridge pier or two were built.

[LilianaUwU]

Also, the new interchange of the Avenue of the Saints and US 218 north in Floyd is opening to east/southbound traffic this Tuesday. It will open to west/northbound traffic in the fall of 2023. (Source: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2022/11/traffic-patterns-will-change-at-the-intersection-of-us-18us-218iowa-27-at-floyd-county-road-t-44-sou.html)

They didn't really waste any time building that. I was up that way in August and only the grade separation and maybe a bridge pier or two were built.

Clearly, Québec needs to learn a thing or two from Iowa.

[skluth]

Also, the new interchange of the Avenue of the Saints and US 218 north in Floyd is opening to east/southbound traffic this Tuesday. It will open to west/northbound traffic in the fall of 2023. (Source: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2022/11/traffic-patterns-will-change-at-the-intersection-of-us-18us-218iowa-27-at-floyd-county-road-t-44-sou.html)

They didn't really waste any time building that. I was up that way in August and only the grade separation and maybe a bridge pier or two were built.

Clearly, Québec needs to learn a thing or two from Iowa.

Much of North America needs to learn that

[rte66man]

Also, the new interchange of the Avenue of the Saints and US 218 north in Floyd is opening to east/southbound traffic this Tuesday. It will open to west/northbound traffic in the fall of 2023. (Source: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2022/11/traffic-patterns-will-change-at-the-intersection-of-us-18us-218iowa-27-at-floyd-county-road-t-44-sou.html)

They didn't really waste any time building that. I was up that way in August and only the grade separation and maybe a bridge pier or two were built.

They've only built 1/2 of it. The rest is coming next spring.

[iowahighways]

IA 17 now follows a new, much-needed viaduct over the old Lincoln Highway and parallel railroad tracks east of Boone which opened December 12: https://who13.com/news/new-railroad-overpass-in-boone-means-less-traffic-for-entire-community/

[iowahighways]

Work on a new interchange on US 218/IA 27 south of Waverly will start this year and finish in the fall of 2025. This will remove all remaining intersections on the Avenue of the Saints between Waverly and Cedar Falls.

https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/new-interchange-between-waverly-janesville-expected-to-be-under-construction-next-year/article_001f3a50-e904-5b97-844e-0f66b4723f05.html

[Fredddie]

I don't know if US 61 north of Burlington has been mentioned but design work is ongoing for widening to four lanes with a target of sometime in 2025.  At work, I'm sheeting plans for the section involving the County Road H38 interchange at Mediapolis.

[pianocello]

I don't know if US 61 north of Burlington has been mentioned but design work is ongoing for widening to four lanes with a target of sometime in 2025.  At work, I'm sheeting plans for the section involving the County Road H38 interchange at Mediapolis.

Is that the one where grading has begun long enough ago to be captured on Google Earth? https://goo.gl/maps/fVxdtbWaNHZ7CRH89

I haven't been in that area in years, but it's nice to see that US 61 is slowly being upgraded across the state.

[Fredddie]

I don't know if US 61 north of Burlington has been mentioned but design work is ongoing for widening to four lanes with a target of sometime in 2025.  At work, I'm sheeting plans for the section involving the County Road H38 interchange at Mediapolis.

Is that the one where grading has begun long enough ago to be captured on Google Earth? https://goo.gl/maps/fVxdtbWaNHZ7CRH89

I haven't been in that area in years, but it's nice to see that US 61 is slowly being upgraded across the state.

One and the same.

[pianocello]

I don't know if US 61 north of Burlington has been mentioned but design work is ongoing for widening to four lanes with a target of sometime in 2025.  At work, I'm sheeting plans for the section involving the County Road H38 interchange at Mediapolis.

Is that the one where grading has begun long enough ago to be captured on Google Earth? https://goo.gl/maps/fVxdtbWaNHZ7CRH89

I haven't been in that area in years, but it's nice to see that US 61 is slowly being upgraded across the state.

One and the same.

Huh. I find it strange that design work is still ongoing a few years after moving a significant amount of earth in that area. Unless you're working on a different segment?

[Fredddie]

I don't know if US 61 north of Burlington has been mentioned but design work is ongoing for widening to four lanes with a target of sometime in 2025.  At work, I'm sheeting plans for the section involving the County Road H38 interchange at Mediapolis.

Is that the one where grading has begun long enough ago to be captured on Google Earth? https://goo.gl/maps/fVxdtbWaNHZ7CRH89

I haven't been in that area in years, but it's nice to see that US 61 is slowly being upgraded across the state.

One and the same.

Huh. I find it strange that design work is still ongoing a few years after moving a significant amount of earth in that area. Unless you're working on a different segment?

For some reason the grading and paving were separate projects instead of a grade-and-pave. Maybe it was just preliminary grading. I really don't know.

[Stephane Dumas]

Looks like the improvements of the interchange of US-20/Avenue of the Saints at Cedar Falls left me on the appetite.
https://www.cedarfalls.com/1786/DOT-IA-2758-US-20

[iowahighways]

Looks like the improvements of the interchange of US-20/Avenue of the Saints at Cedar Falls left me on the appetite.
https://www.cedarfalls.com/1786/DOT-IA-2758-US-20

No high-speed ramps, at least not yet. They're resurfacing part of the existing IA 27/58 and ramps from US 20 while adding some turn lanes. Here is a link to a public meeting from 2020 with plans: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/pim/2020/10/iowa-27iowa-58-online-meeting.html

[Stephane Dumas]

Looks like the improvements of the interchange of US-20/Avenue of the Saints at Cedar Falls left me on the appetite.
https://www.cedarfalls.com/1786/DOT-IA-2758-US-20

No high-speed ramps, at least not yet. They're resurfacing part of the existing IA 27/58 and ramps from US 20 while adding some turn lanes. Here is a link to a public meeting from 2020 with plans: https://www.news.iowadot.gov/pim/2020/10/iowa-27iowa-58-online-meeting.html

I wonder if IA DOT also toyed with the idea of a diverging diamond interchange for this interchange as an alternative?

[iowahighways]

I wonder if IA DOT also toyed with the idea of a diverging diamond interchange for this interchange as an alternative?

Previous thread on this topic: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11813.0

The Iowa DOT did a planning study for interchange alternatives a decade ago and considered high-speed ramps at US 20, but those must be on the back burner for now.

And here's a local news story from last October: DOT to begin reconstructing Highway 58 and Ridgeway Avenue corridor next spring

[Molandfreak]

Ugh... why can't they just do it right the first time?

[iowahighways]

While much-awaited work at the East Mixmaster has begun, there are now plans to add a new flyover ramp to the West Mixmaster of I-35, I-80, and I-235 by 2029: https://www.kcci.com/article/west-des-moines-plan-to-add-flyover-bridges-to-west-mixmaster/43866958

[mvak36]

While much-awaited work at the East Mixmaster has begun, there are now plans to add a new flyover ramp to the West Mixmaster of I-35, I-80, and I-235 by 2029: https://www.kcci.com/article/west-des-moines-plan-to-add-flyover-bridges-to-west-mixmaster/43866958

It's good that they're replacing at least one of the cloverleafs. Those were getting bad especially during the rush hours.

If funding wasn't an issue, I've always thought that interchange would be a good place for a turbine interchange. I think they have enough ROW to do it.