AMES, IOWA – Road work will have a minimal effect on traffic during the Labor Day weekend, according to Iowa Department of Transportation officials.

“We realize that many motorists will be on the road for the last ‘official’ holiday of the summer,” said Mark Bortle, traffic safety and automation engineer for the Iowa DOT’s Office of Construction. “Since we expect a large number of motorists on Iowa’s highways this weekend, we suspend work on some projects where it is possible to reopen the roadway to normal or near normal traffic to reduce the possibility of traffic slowdowns.”

Areas where work may affect traffic include:

Northwest Iowa

On the Interstate 129 bridge between Iowa and Nebraska at Sioux City, one lane will be closed in each direction.

One northbound lane of U.S. 75 will be closed from Hinton north four miles.

A bridge deck overlay on Iowa 3 near Cherokee will limit the bridge to one lane, with traffic controlled by signals.

Minor finishing details remain on Iowa 15 from West Bend to the junction with U.S. 18, but no work will be underway Friday through Monday, so traffic flow will be normal on this section of highway during the holiday weekend.

Southwest Iowa

Lanes of Interstate 80 at the interchange with Interstate 29 and Iowa 92 have been narrowed to 11 feet wide and shifted to utilize the paved shoulders during reconstruction of the interchange. There are still two lanes open in each direction.

The ramp bridge from eastbound Interstate 480 to northbound Interstate 29 in Pottawattamie County is closed and traffic is detoured due to reconstruction in that area. The traffic that normally would use this ramp will be routed south on Interstate 29 to the Ninth Avenue interchange, under the overpass, and back onto northbound Interstate 29.

A bridge replacement on Iowa 37 just east of the Earling city limits in Shelby County is resulting in a detour for Iowa 37 traffic. The detour is on U.S. 59 and Shelby County roads M-16 and F-32.

Southeast Iowa

Work on Iowa 92 between Knoxville and Oskaloosa will be suspended at noon on Friday so it will not impede holiday traffic.

Asphalt work on Iowa 14 north of Knoxville will be underway Friday, but no work is scheduled for the holiday weekend.

Iowa 92 between Ainsworth and Washington is still closed, and traffic is being detoured.

East Central Iowa

At the Interstate 80/280 interchange in Scott County, the ramp from westbound Interstate 80 to southbound Interstate 280 is reduced to one 12-foot lane with no shoulders. The speed limit in this work zone has been reduced to 55 mph.

Central Iowa

One lane of Interstate 80 in Jasper County will be closed in each direction just west of the Grinnell rest area. The closures are due to an overlay being put on the bridge. The open lanes will be 13 feet wide.

In Polk County, no lane closures will be allowed on the interstate highways during the holiday weekend.

Grading on U.S. 65/Iowa 330 in Polk County northeast of Des Moines will continue on Friday and Saturday, and will have only a minimal effect on traffic on Friday, with no work affecting traffic on Saturday. Work on Iowa 330 in Jasper County will have a moderate effect on traffic Friday, but none for the remainder of the holiday weekend.

At the Iowa 330/U.S. 30 junction in Marshall County, the westbound lanes of U.S. 30 are closed, with all U.S. 30 traffic being routed over the eastbound lanes.

Grading on Iowa 5 south of Des Moines will be underway Friday and Saturday, but will only have a moderate effect on Iowa 28 traffic on Friday.

Grading on Iowa 5 from the Pleasantville bypass to just southeast of Carlisle will have some work underway on Friday, but will not have any major impact on traffic.

The widening and asphalt resurfacing of Iowa 141 in Polk County will continue on Friday, but no work will be done Saturday through Monday.

For those motorists who do find themselves in a road work zone, Bortle offered the following tips:

• Stay alert! Dedicate your full attention to the roadway.

• Pay close attention to the road work zone signs and the traffic around you! Keep up with the traffic flow, don’t change lanes in work zones, and be a good defensive driver.

• Minimize distractions! Avoid changing radio stations, using mobile phones, eating or other activities that take your attention away from your driving while you’re in a work zone.

• Don’t speed! Obey the posted speed limits in and around the work zone. And, remember, the speed limit on divided highways with a 65 mph speed limit is reduced to 55 mph in work zones where lanes are closed.

• Expect the unexpected! Keep an eye out for workers, their equipment, and the traffic around you.

• Be patient! Remember the road work crew members are working to improve your future ride.