Bridge Project Completion Pushed Back To Spring

Mills County drivers will have to continue to detour around construction when traveling along Mills County Highway L-35 for a little while longer, as the $4.5 million replacement of two bridges along that highway will not be completed until the spring.

The replacement of the two overhead bridges on Mills County Highway L-35 (Old Iowa Highway 978) began last April and was originally slated to be completed in November. According to a representative of the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), the project will likely not be entirely completed until spring.

Orest Lechnowsky, resident construction engineer on the project for the IDOT, said the delay isn't due to one particular issue, but rather a combination of things.

“It's been weather, material delivery delays, particularly for concrete, and some issues with coordinating with the railroad,” he said.

Lechnowsky said those delays aren't uncommon on bridge projects but for the issues to occur simultaneously on one project is rare. He is not aware of any budget overages on the project.

The project has forced road closures and limited access for drivers along L-35 and Kane Avenue to the intersection of L-35 and 195th Street, causing numerous detours around the construction area.

In addition to the two bridge replacements, the IDOT is also reconfiguring the intersection of 221st Street and Kane Avenue as it proceeds west into Pacific Junction. When completed, the intersection will be a more traditional 90-degree turn for motorists.

Lechnowsky estimates the two bridge projects are 90 percent completed. The southern bridge, closest to Interstate 29, will likely be completed this winter. The northern end of the project, south of Glenwood and east of Pacific Junction, and the changes to the intersection at 221st Street and Kane Avenue will likely not be completely finished until the spring.

“There's not a lot of work left on either (bridge) and it all should be done fairly quickly,” he said.