March 22, 1999

For more information, contact: Jerry Dickinson, Iowa Department of Transportation, 515-239-1667, or John Dutcher, ZLR Public Relations, 515-244-4456, Ext. 104

DES MOINES, IOWA – March 22, 1999 – The Iowa Department of Transportation has announced its statewide interstate and Des Moines area construction plans for the 1999 road work season. The road work season traditionally runs from April 1 through the Thanksgiving holiday. However, with this year’s mild winter, many road work projects are already getting underway.

Interstate roadways that will receive major construction and repair are located in Adair, Dallas, Harrison, Jasper, Johnson, Linn, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Story and Scott counties, with several major projects slated for the Des Moines metro area.

In an effort to help Iowa motorists avoid delays and to promote safe driver behavior in road work areas, the Iowa DOT will be launching a comprehensive public information campaign in April, according to Jerry Dickinson, Iowa DOT information specialist and work zone safety program coordinator. The campaign will provide Iowa print and broadcast media with up-to-date information to help drivers avoid road work areas, or to allot extra travel time if they’ll be driving through road construction. Public service announcements and commercials also will promote safe driver behavior and create awareness for the need for extra caution when traveling through a road work area.

In 1998 there were nine fatalities in Iowa road work areas, according to Mark Bortle, Iowa DOT traffic safety/automation engineer. Of those nine fatalities, two were Iowa DOT employees and seven were motorists.

1. Interstate 80 (Dallas County) - Resurfacing various sections of I-80 from the Madison County line to the Polk County line.
2. Interstate 80 (Polk County) - Patching on Interstate 80 mainline pavement through the east U.S. 65 interchange. Through traffic will be maintained at all times. Westbound lane closures will not occur before 9 a.m. and eastbound lane closures will not be allowed after 3 p.m.
3. Interstate 80 (Adair, Madison and Dallas counties) - Patching on Interstate 80 from the Cass County line east to the Polk County line. Patching will begin April 6 and run through the end of April. Only one lane will be closed at any given time.
4. Interstate 80 (Adair County) Resurfacing Interstate 80 from the Cass County line east to just west of the Iowa 25 interchange. The westbound lanes will be closed one lane at a time. Resurfacing will take place from the first of June through early August.
5. Interstate 35 (Polk County) - Bridge deck overlay work on Interstate 35 over Iowa 931 (First Street) in Ankeny. The construction will result in lane closures for approximately 30 days, although through traffic will be maintained at all times.
6. Interstate 35/80 (Polk County) - Pavement grading and replacement of five bridges from Second Avenue to the northeast mixmaster (Interstate 35/80/235 interchange). The median portions of three highway and two railroad bridges will be built. Expect occasional lane closures (primarily at night) Project includes the construction of a westbound off-ramp to Northeast 14th Street and a westbound off-ramp to Second Avenue.
7. Interstate 235 (Polk County) - Patching on Interstate 235 in Des Moines from the west mixmaster to the east mixmaster (Interstate 35/80/235 interchange). At least one lane will be open both directions during road work.
8. Iowa 5 (Polk County) - Grading on Iowa 5 from existing Iowa 28 east to Southwest Ninth Street interchange. This project will require closure of County Line Road from May 1999 through the summer of 2000.
9. Interstate 35/80 (Polk County) Grading, paving and bridge replacement for the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 35/80 near the Merle Hay interchange in Urbandale and Johnston.

1. Interstate 35 (Polk, Story, Hamilton, Wright and Franklin Counties) - Patching on Interstate 35 from the north Interstate 80/Interstate 235 interchange to north of the Cerro Gordo County line. There will be intermittent lane closures of up to four miles. One lane each direction will remain open at all times.
2. Interstate 35 (Story County) - Pavement replacement in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 from the U.S. 30 interchange to north of County Road D-65 interchange. This is a two-year project involving more than 20 miles of road. Work will be done in five, four-mile sections. During construction, sections of the interstate will be down to one lane running each direction on one side of the median. No more than two sections will be under construction/closure at a time.

1. Interstate 380 (Johnson, Linn, Benton, Buchanan and Black Hawk counties) - Patching on Interstate 380 from Interstate 80 north to U.S. 218. The work from Interstate 80 through Cedar Rapids will be done at night to minimize disruption of traffic.
2. Interstate 80 (Johnson County) - Bridge replacement on Interstate 80 over the Iowa River. Two lanes of traffic each direction will be maintained during bridge deck replacement. This project will be underway from April through November.
3. Interstate 80 (Johnson County) - Patching from Interstate 380 to Iowa 1. Work will be done at night to minimize disruption of traffic.

Eastern Iowa (Scott County)

1. Interstate 74 (Scott County) - Patching on Interstate 74 from the Interstate 80 interchange to the Mississippi River, including the interchange ramps within the project limits. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction at all times.
2. Interstate 280 (Scott County) - Patching on Interstate 280 from the Interstate 80 interchange east to the Illinois State Line, including the interchange ramps within the project limits. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction through the duration of this project.
3. Interstate 80 (Scott County) - Patching on Interstate 80 from just east of the Middle Road interchange east to the Mississippi River. One lane of traffic will be maintained in both directions during the project.

1. Interstate 80 (Pottawattamie County) - Pavement replacement on eastbound Interstate 80 from south of Iowa 244 (Neola interchange) through the Interstate 680 interchange. There will be a ramp closure from Interstate 80 eastbound to Interstate 680 westbound during the project. Traffic will be maintained with one lane running in each direction on one side of the median.
2. Interstate 80 (Pottawattamie County) - Bridge deck overlay on Interstate 80 over the east branch of the West Nishnabotna River.
3. Interstate 80 (Pottawattamie County) - Reconstruction from Madison Avenue to four miles north of U.S. 6. Traffic will be maintained, with one lane each direction on one side of the median.
4. County Road G-30 (Pottawattamie County) - Bridge deck overlay on County Road G-30 over Interstate 80. This project will occur during reconstruction of Interstate 80 (Project #1 above).

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