Does anyone have anything current on the new SW Arterial IDOT is building around Dubuque?
I heard the bridge over US-151/US-61 is done and is very unique in design, or at least unique as most DOT's go.
It currently ends at Old Davenport Road for now.
But I also heard they are down to English Mill Road and have the North Cascade Road overpass started.
For once Google Earth was updated. Here is the progress on the SW Arterial (US-20).
Here is the unique overpass over US-151/US-61.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49616274576_25857541fb_z.jpg)
Here is where it will terminate at the east end for now at Old Davenport Road (former US-61)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49616568577_ab334cf85a_z.jpg)
The look towards the south on US-151/US-61 with Old Davenport on the left, the overpass and the new exit ramps on the right.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49615797718_177af37063_z.jpg)
The bridges over Military Road (former US-151), North Cascade and English Mill Roads.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49616312176_edc143498f_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49616312296_f915eb3f9e_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49616568272_d489ee2902_z.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49616568432_0b82a9122d_z.jpg")
Here is the overpass all the way back at the current US-20 west of Dubuque.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49615797658_19d1a4564f_z.jpg)
It will then connect with the current Sieppel Road (2 lane) on the west end and take traffic to Julien.
In sometime beyond my lifetime, this connector is supposed to line up with a future Mississippi River Bridge south of Spanish Mines at Shawondasse and meet up with the IDOT route of US-20. IDOT owns the ROW to the river.
With IDOT ignoring the US-20 corridor right now between Freeport and East Dubuque, it may be a very long time before Iowa DOT takes it to US-52 and finally the long planned bridge. Housing is starting to encroach down US-52. If they don't protect the ROW over the next 25-30 years, we may never see it ever.
Will this SW Arterial have any interchanges along its route? I've seen overpasses but no signs of interchange ramps.
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 04, 2020, 03:58:58 PM
Will this SW Arterial have any interchanges along its route? I've seen overpasses but no signs of interchange ramps.
None between US-20 and US-151/US-61.
Military Road has a gravel service entrance at the bridge for construction traffic, but it is not for an exit ramp.
And I want to correct myself on a key item. Iowa DOT considers the SW Arterial the new US-52 Bypass of downtown Dubuque.
US-52 will be redirected to a new route west of Dubuque to its current ROW near Luxumburg.
https://www.cityofdubuque.org/1225/Southwest-Arterial-Project
https://www.transportationmatters.iowadot.gov/2019/12/us-52-dubuques-sw-arterial-they-said-it-couldnt-be-built.html
https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/SW-Arterial-in-Dubuque-set-to-be-open-to-drivers-next-summer-557908201.html
Quote from: edwaleni on March 03, 2020, 10:55:12 PM
In sometime beyond my lifetime, this connector is supposed to line up with a future Mississippi River Bridge south of Spanish Mines at Shawondasse and meet up with the IDOT route of US-20. IDOT owns the ROW to the river.
Um, what? This is not true. The only land the state of Iowa owns in that area is for the Mines of Spain Recreation Area, and they're absolutely not putting a bridge through that.
The state drew a line east of Peosta in 1968. It will never be anything other than a line.
Quote from: Highway63 on March 06, 2020, 01:09:22 AM
Quote from: edwaleni on March 03, 2020, 10:55:12 PM
In sometime beyond my lifetime, this connector is supposed to line up with a future Mississippi River Bridge south of Spanish Mines at Shawondasse and meet up with the IDOT route of US-20. IDOT owns the ROW to the river.
Um, what? This is not true. The only land the state of Iowa owns in that area is for the Mines of Spain Recreation Area, and they're absolutely not putting a bridge through that.
The state drew a line east of Peosta in 1968. It will never be anything other than a line.
IDOT's in Illinois. Iowa's side refers to itself as Iowa DOT (took me a second to figure it out too).
If this was really on Iowa DOT's radar, I'd think they would have tried to make the interchanges free-flowing with US 20 and US 61/151. I agree they should buy ROW up to the river, but I don't think it's a real consideration at this point.
It bothers me more than it should that the Southwest Arterial isn't going to line up with the northwest Arterial.
Quote from: edwaleni on March 04, 2020, 05:19:21 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 04, 2020, 03:58:58 PM
Will this SW Arterial have any interchanges along its route? I've seen overpasses but no signs of interchange ramps.
None between US-20 and US-151/US-61.
Military Road has a gravel service entrance at the bridge for construction traffic, but it is not for an exit ramp.
There's going to be a diamond interchange serving North Cascade Road/English Mill Road.
The city of Dubuque's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/DubuquePIO) posted frequent updates during construction season, and the Telegraph-Herald (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55zgHm41G28&feature=emb_title) and NBC affiliate KWWL (https://kwwl.com/2020/02/24/southwest-arterial-almost-finished/) have posted more recent videos.
I was expecting a concrete roadway and not bituminous. Did the shale substrata drive that decision?
Southwest Arterial opened today:
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/breaking/article_4d5f17ca-2bdf-531c-8199-6859e6d0be09.html
No word yet on whether signs for IA 32 or IA 3 within the Dubuque city limits have been removed.
Quote from: iowahighways on August 17, 2020, 08:03:23 PM
Southwest Arterial opened today:
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/breaking/article_4d5f17ca-2bdf-531c-8199-6859e6d0be09.html
No word yet on whether signs for IA 32 or IA 3 within the Dubuque city limits have been removed.
I saw a 55 MPH speed limit sign in the video. Surely that isn't the case for the entire route?
Google Maps presently shows the interchange configurations of the two terminuses, and the relocation of English Mill Rd. Other than that, there is no indication on the map of the Southwest Arterial's construction: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4504761,-90.7154084,7230m/data=!3m1!1e3.
As a kid they took us on a Saturday field trip to Dubuque and Galena in the early 80s and I remember they took us to this "old people" restaurant in Dubuque that had this huge sign that said "Now Serving Smorgastable" out front. "Smorgastable" must be old people food, I looked on Google Maps but can't seem to find this place anymore, is it still around?
Quote from: captkirk_4 on August 19, 2020, 08:43:34 AM
As a kid they took us on a Saturday field trip to Dubuque and Galena in the early 80s and I remember they took us to this "old people" restaurant in Dubuque that had this huge sign that said "Now Serving Smorgastable" out front. "Smorgastable" must be old people food, I looked on Google Maps but can't seem to find this place anymore, is it still around?
https://www.facebook.com/ykyguidiiyr/posts/roberts-smorgastable-dubuque/398259670229429/
http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=ROBERT%27S_SMORGASTABLE_AND_RESTAURANT
Per Historic Aerials it sat where this link in GMSV lands - https://goo.gl/maps/Z44mMNrGmqS3rEpd7 - in the middle of the intersection now (Locust St used to be lined up entirely with the frontage piece of Locust St across from this intersection).
I'd take an educated guess that "Smorgastable" referred to "smorgasbord" -- essentially a cafeteria-style configuration -- but with table service for people who didn't want to have to repeatedly walk to the food source (and some elderly would probably fit into this category). With COVID and the ad hoc effective truncation of self-serve, it's probably rotated right back into relevance!
Back to the SW Arterial, I was in the area Saturday and:
- No changes yet to IA 3 in downtown Dubuque or IA 32.
- For that matter, US 52 is still signed in downtown Dubuque on its old route. No BGS on US 20 or 61/151 have changed.
- However, US 52 is signed along US 20 between Dyersville and the SW Arterial and BGS on that stretch of 20 have been changed accordingly. It is also signed along IA 136 north of Dyersville. (136 was not truncated to avoid the need of changing rural addresses.)
Quote from: iowahighways on September 07, 2020, 09:17:43 PM
Back to the SW Arterial, I was in the area Saturday and:
- No changes yet to IA 3 in downtown Dubuque or IA 32.
- For that matter, US 52 is still signed in downtown Dubuque on its old route. No BGS on US 20 or 61/151 have changed.
- However, US 52 is signed along US 20 between Dyersville and the SW Arterial and BGS on that stretch of 20 have been changed accordingly. It is also signed along IA 136 north of Dyersville. (136 was not truncated to avoid the need of changing rural addresses.)
I noticed that Google Maps has already moved US-52 over to the new arterial, though that isn't always accurate, simply what AASHTO has approved.
Any ideas how they will change the flashing red's in Luxemburg?
IowaDOT built a kind of small bypass just for US-52 to help avoid the flashing red at IA-3.
With US-52 going to Dyersburg now, I wonder if they will deprecate the light on IA-3 to a basic stop sign and convert US-52 to a flashing yellow so traffic can pass through?
Quote from: edwaleni on September 08, 2020, 03:17:12 PM
Any ideas how they will change the flashing red's in Luxemburg?
IowaDOT built a kind of small bypass just for US-52 to help avoid the flashing red at IA-3.
With US-52 going to Dyersburg now, I wonder if they will deprecate the light on IA-3 to a basic stop sign and convert US-52 to a flashing yellow so traffic can pass through?
Dyersburg?? Did it move from Tennessee?
US-52 in Dubuque now has one of the most bizarre and inefficent routings of any highway in any city in the country. From south to north, it junctions with US-61/151, heads south, heads back northwest on the SW Arterial, heads east on US-20, then finally turns back northward. That's four distinct changes of direction, each with multiple miles in between. From a roadgeek standpoint, it also creates a wrong-way concurrency.
Quote from: thspfc on September 08, 2020, 09:10:01 PM
US-52 in Dubuque now has one of the most bizarre and inefficent routings of any highway in any city in the country. From south to north, it junctions with US-61/151, heads south, heads back northwest on the SW Arterial, heads east on US-20, then finally turns back northward. That's four distinct changes of direction, each with multiple miles in between. From a roadgeek standpoint, it also creates a wrong-way concurrency.
From what's described above re the US 52 rerouting, the current route of US 52 turns
west on US 20 to Dyersville, then north concurent with IA 136, regaining its original alignment at Luxemburg. The previous US 52, which apparently still carries that signage (hopefully temporarily) concurrent with IA 3, is in the process of reverting back to IA 3 alone, which will terminate in downtown Dubuque. US 52 actually used this particular routing for a while back in the '70's.
Quote from: rte66man on September 08, 2020, 08:44:35 PM
Quote from: edwaleni on September 08, 2020, 03:17:12 PM
Any ideas how they will change the flashing red's in Luxemburg?
IowaDOT built a kind of small bypass just for US-52 to help avoid the flashing red at IA-3.
With US-52 going to Dyersburg now, I wonder if they will deprecate the light on IA-3 to a basic stop sign and convert US-52 to a flashing yellow so traffic can pass through?
Dyersburg?? Did it move from Tennessee?
OK, so its Dyersville. My error.
Quote from: thspfc on September 08, 2020, 09:10:01 PM
US-52 in Dubuque now has one of the most bizarre and inefficent routings of any highway in any city in the country. From south to north, it junctions with US-61/151, heads south, heads back northwest on the SW Arterial, heads east on US-20, then finally turns back northward. That's four distinct changes of direction, each with multiple miles in between. From a roadgeek standpoint, it also creates a wrong-way concurrency.
My understanding was that eventually the SW Arterial will continue on east to the current US 52 in the future causing the current route up to US-61 to be obsolete.
Quote from: edwaleni on September 08, 2020, 03:17:12 PM
Any ideas how they will change the flashing red's in Luxemburg?
4-way stop now.
This bypass is useless now. Besides, 3 is closed for construction (The road is not there)
Between the city and state, contractors have messed up signage in multiple locations. There is an EAST 52 sign on 61 north at the interchange. (:ded:)
Quote from: sparker on September 08, 2020, 09:30:31 PM
Quote from: thspfc on September 08, 2020, 09:10:01 PM
US-52 in Dubuque now has one of the most bizarre and inefficent routings of any highway in any city in the country. From south to north, it junctions with US-61/151, heads south, heads back northwest on the SW Arterial, heads east on US-20, then finally turns back northward. That's four distinct changes of direction, each with multiple miles in between. From a roadgeek standpoint, it also creates a wrong-way concurrency.
From what's described above re the US 52 rerouting, the current route of US 52 turns west on US 20 to Dyersville, then north concurent with IA 136, regaining its original alignment at Luxemburg. The previous US 52, which apparently still carries that signage (hopefully temporarily) concurrent with IA 3, is in the process of reverting back to IA 3 alone, which will terminate in downtown Dubuque. US 52 actually used this particular routing for a while back in the '70's.
Ah, I forgot that IA-3 also runs along that stretch of US-52. The actual routing does make a ton more sense than the route I described.
Is there a construction date yet on the extensions of the Southwest Arterial connecting to existing US 52 at both ends?
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on September 25, 2020, 06:09:27 PM
Is there a construction date yet on the extensions of the Southwest Arterial connecting to existing US 52 at both ends?
No. US 52 now follows US 20 westward to Dyersville and IA 136 northward to Luxemburg. The Arterial itself turns into two-lane Seippel Road north of US 20, but it ends in Asbury and I haven't seen any plans of a northward extension.
An eastward extension to the existing US 52 would be wishful thinking to remove the zig-zag along US 61/151, but I have seen no plans of one.
I keep watching as I live 25 minutes away, but there are actually 2 routings - the phantom former route and the current route - that disappears at the east end of the arterial.
and IA 32 still exists according to the signs.
Quote from: SSOWorld on October 22, 2020, 04:15:42 AM
I keep watching as I live 25 minutes away, but there are actually 2 routings - the phantom former route and the current route - that disappears at the east end of the arterial.
and IA 32 still exists according to the signs.
Good to know. My understanding is that cleanup from the August 10 derecho is still ongoing and is higher priority for Iowa DOT District 6.
Quote from: iowahighways on October 22, 2020, 12:22:19 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on October 22, 2020, 04:15:42 AM
I keep watching as I live 25 minutes away, but there are actually 2 routings - the phantom former route and the current route - that disappears at the east end of the arterial.
and IA 32 still exists according to the signs.
Good to know. My understanding is that cleanup from the August 10 derecho is still ongoing and is higher priority for Iowa DOT District 6.
The sign situation has improved... somewhat
The green signs at 20 and along 61 have a lot of... well... green. Old shields covered up and remaining routes pasted. However the local 52/3 ground signs (even on 61) remain.
At 52 EB, the northern trailblazer had all 3, they just took a sawzall to the 52 part. Now it's right-heavy.
Overall the 52 reroute was "functional". They skipped the spinning rims.
You talk of the clean-up from the derecho going on? True. There is a sign by DeWitt on US-61 approaching the US-30 cloverleaf that has not yet been replaced. It still has the old sign that was knocked down at the breakaway point.
What is the point of this route? Couldn't they have just extended US 20 straight east from Swiss Valley Road to US 61/151 and have it serve the same purpose?
US-52 northwest of Dubuque is a major truck route to MN and points west. That's all going through downtown Dubuque and hilly terrain with tight curves and 6+% grade hills and quite heavy residential rural zones with poor line of sight. My view in particular is the City of Dubuque wanted the heavy traffic out.
EDIT:
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_c7063014-2229-5393-b035-eedb36e473e7.html?utm_source=thonline&utm_medium=click_source&utm_campaign=homepage_top_news_card (Open private window to avoid paywall)
roads southeast of the arterial are seeing higher traffic counts (double in fact). This is because traffic going on US 52 is trying to avoid traffic bottlenecks at two poorly timed traffic lights to continue southeast. These are low-traffic roads that are carrying exceeding traffic counts. Nobody saw that coming. </BlatantLie>
Maybe instead of following US 20 westward and IA 136 northward to reconnect with existing 52, the US 52 designation could have headed east on 20, and then went northward on the Northwest Arterial and reconnected with existing 52 there. That would have made more sense to me as a bypass of Dubuque than the out-of-the-way 20/136 connection via Dyersville to Luxemburg.
Quote from: I-39 on January 02, 2021, 09:46:23 AM
What is the point of this route? Couldn't they have just extended US 20 straight east from Swiss Valley Road to US 61/151 and have it serve the same purpose?
You and several other people are asking the same question. I think it was a compromise between functionality and economic development.
To be fully functional (like you suggested) would take it too far away from Dubuque proper.
To be used for economic development, it had to be closer to the metro area to promote new business.
What was built is a compromise of both. A 4 lane interstate grade highway that is neither functional or useful for economic development today.
You are being just too logical.
My pet theory is that they know this route is not sustainable in its current form but didn't have the money to take it the rest of the way.
But now that it is open, logistics firms (and everone else using Google Maps) are going to route their trucks in the most shortest way available, which happens to be Schueller Road to Old Davenport.
This is going to drive demand to get the final part funded sooner becuase people don't want trucks on their road.
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 05, 2021, 03:49:42 PM
Maybe instead of following US 20 westward and IA 136 northward to reconnect with existing 52, the US 52 designation could have headed east on 20, and then went northward on the Northwest Arterial and reconnected with existing 52 there. That would have made more sense to me as a bypass of Dubuque than the out-of-the-way 20/136 connection via Dyersville to Luxemburg.
How does that alleviate the problem on the rural stretch?
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on January 05, 2021, 03:49:42 PM
Maybe instead of following US 20 westward and IA 136 northward to reconnect with existing 52, the US 52 designation could have headed east on 20, and then went northward on the Northwest Arterial and reconnected with existing 52 there. That would have made more sense to me as a bypass of Dubuque than the out-of-the-way 20/136 connection via Dyersville to Luxemburg.
I would argue that the SW/NW arterial combo is more out of the way for US 52 thru traffic than US 20/IA 136. It's certainly faster to go through Dyersville, though the mileage is comparable.
I would've liked to see the SW Arterial line up directly with both the NW Arterial and current US 52 south of Dubuque, but there is already too much development in the way on both ends. At least now there is a route to keep some of the trucks off of US 20 through Dubuque if they're heading south, but it won't keep any trucks heading to Illinois off US 20.
The number of stoplights on US20/Dodge Street and their lack of synchronization would have made me consider using the SW Arterial and US 61/151 to bypass that section of Dodge. However, the stoplights in the vicinity of the intersection of US 52 and 61/151 have reduced the efficiency of that route, particularly when there were no dedicated left turn lanes on 61/151 at those intersections. Twenty years ago, I remember it taking 25 minutes to traverse that stretch of Dodge. I hope that they've made signal adjustments since then.