Better information builds safer workzones

February 26, 2020

Every year work zones pop up all over Iowa as soon as the weather starts to warm up. Preparing in advance to make those work zone as safe and efficient as possible is no easy feat. Designing a safe work zone is much more than just putting out some cones. There is a lot of data to analyze and best practices to follow to make sure a work zone keeps you moving toward your destination.

One of the key factors in a safe, efficient work zone is consistency. As a driver, you need to know what to expect when you see that “road work ahead” sign. In an effort to make work zones more consistent and centralize work zone best practices, the Iowa Department of Transportation has gathered information together in a Work Zone Reference Library. This online ‘toolbox’ will help Iowa DOT, county and city engineers, and our industry partners ensure each work zone is set up as consistently, effectively, and safely as possible.

Up to the challenge – keeping traffic moving on Iowa 2 in flood-ravaged SW Iowa

February 17, 2020

When the flooding started in Southwest Iowa in March 2019, few people expected the water to rise and fall relatively quickly, as it did during the 2011 floods. The cause of this round of flooding was complicated with snowmelt runoff from the north, heavy spring rains, and swollen tributaries feeding the Missouri River.  

Nearly a year later, water still inundates a significant portion of several Southwest Iowa counties. Last Spring's heavy rainfall caused both the Missouri River and the Platte River that feeds it to swell, breaking through an intricate system of levees. With the levee system breached, powerful water ran freely through farmlands, towns, and the transportation system, impacting both state and county road and railroad lines. Local citizens were forced to find creative ways to get where they needed to go, often adding hours to each day’s commute. With more flooding predicted for Spring 2020, the Iowa DOT has been working non-stop on projects designed to reduce the traffic impacts more flooding could bring. One such project is on Iowa 2 near Nebraska City.

Protecting your investment

December 20, 2019

This time of year, the lines at area car washes grow on any day where temperatures rise. If you think keeping your personal vehicle maintained in Iowa’s winter conditions is tough, image how challenging it can be for the fleet of more than 900 snowplows maintained by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Our snowplow trucks are out in the harshest of weather conditions, plowing snow and applying rock salt and brine, a salt and water mixture, to help keep you moving. Keeping roads clear takes its toll on the equipment.

“Each of our snowplow trucks costs about $170,000 to purchase. With more than 900 trucks in our fleet, that’s a very large investment,” said Tina Greenfield of the Maintenance Bureau. “Our goal is to keep each vehicle 12 to 15 years, so maintaining those vehicles in good working conditions is a top priority.”

Iowa farmers helping keep Iowa roads clear

December 17, 2019

Good partnerships benefit all those involved. Over the years, the Iowa Department of Transportation has developed some pretty unique solutions to improve wintertime mobility and highway safety using partnerships with dozens of farmers statewide.

Back in the 1980s, our field forces began working with farmers who held fields along state highways in open areas where the terrain is open and flat to create the standing corn program. The partnerships involved the farmer planting corn that can be left in fields during the winter to serve as snow fences that slow down or stop snow from blowing and drifting across the road. More recently, this cooperative effort has included using round bales as snow fences, as well.

Virtually showing Iowa initiatives on the world stage

December 11, 2019

We all know Iowa is an amazing place to live, but how can we communicate that to the world? Location and Environment Bureau Director Tammy Nicholson was recently able to show Iowa nice to more than 42,000 scouts from all over the world at the 2019 World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.

Nicholson and her husband, Kent, who works in the Bureau of Design, are no strangers to scouting. Both of their sons are Eagle scouts and the couple has led countless scout groups over the years, but this experience was once in a lifetime for Tammy.

U.S 52 - Dubuque's SW Arterial - They said it couldn’t be built

December 9, 2019

Nearly 40 years after it was originally proposed, the U.S. 52 project, known to locals as the Southwest Arterial, in Dubuque is nearing completion. The joint project between the Iowa Department of Transportation and the City of Dubuque proves that perseverance pays off.

Connecting local industrial centers to each other and the rest of the Midwest and the world is the driving force for completion of this 6.1-mile, four-lane divided freeway that will provide and modern transportation alternative through southwestern Dubuque, linking the Dubuque Technology Park on US 61/151 with the new Dubuque Industrial Center West and the existing Dubuque Industrial Center near U.S 20.