Early October Opening For Interchange

PACIFIC JUNCTION - The opening of the redesigned Interstate 29/Highway 34 interchange in western Mills County is three weeks away, an Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) engineer told The Opinion-Tribune Friday.

“I would anticipate the work on the interchange itself will probably be completed the first week of October,” IDOT resident construction manager Dave Dorsett said. “It’s all kind of subject to weather, but we met with the contractor last Monday afternoon and he anticipated being done by Sept. 28, but with the weather being what it has been, it will probably be about a week after that.”

The interchange is one of the two major components of the Highway 34 expansion project that will link western Mills County with Sarpy County, Neb., and U.S. Highway 75. Construction on the second component, a four-lane bridge over the Missouri River, is expected to be completed by early November.

“I understood there’s about a month’s differential in when we anticipated getting the paving and interchange done with the bridge construction,” Dorsett said.

The IDOT has been in charge of the interchange redesign and highway construction while Jensen Construction has overseen the building of the bridge. Dorsett said the IDOT has occasionally been faced with weather-related delays since the September 2011 ground-breaking for the project, but the goal has always been to get work completed before the winter of 2014-2015.

“We had some significant delays a year ago beginning the westbound 34 bridge (over I-29),” Dorsett said. “We got a later start last year than anticipated. In fact, the contractor really didn’t get into there until November. That was due to delays the paving project incurred throughout the summer of 2013.

“We’ve always had a fall of 2014 target and I think there may have been some cushion in this bridge project I refer to, but despite the late start the contractor was diligent and has the bridge basically finished up. We’re going to have the walk-through inspection on that bridge the week of Sept. 22.”

Dorsett said for the most part, only the “finishing touches” on the interchange remain to be carried out. That work includes shoulder surfacing, pavement markers (painting/striping), some erosion-control measures and placement of signage.

Dorsett said the redesign of the 40-year-old interchange should allow for a smoother and safer flow of traffic. The most noticeable changes are longer approaches to entrance and exit ramps and a loop system for southbound-to-eastbound and northbound-to-westbound traffic.

“The isolated benefit will be improved safety standards,” Dorsett said. “With the loops, there will be traffic that won’t have to stop.”

Dorsett said the impact the new interchange and Missouri River bridge will have on traffic flow in southwest Iowa remains to be seen.

“In terms of transportation needs regionally, I think it will be significant. I’m not a regional planner, but I think it provides some redundancy,” Dorsett said. “If there was ever a problem with the I-80 bridge, it gives us a better alternative to detour traffic on the primary system.

“One benefit for the travelers is they have an alternative to toll bridges. I do think it will impact significantly the current traffic that is using 370 and (Old) 34.”