Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Danville Road could open today as county says Minneapolis Road target slips
Summary
Des Moines County Secondary Roads staff reported Danville Road may open the afternoon of July 15 if guardrail and traffic-control crews finish, while the larger Minneapolis Road project’s date has shifted again and is now projected for mid-August to mid-September.
Des Moines County Secondary Roads staff told supervisors on July 15 that contractors are finishing final work on Danville Road and that the county expects the road could reopen the afternoon of July 15 if guardrail and traffic-control crews complete their work.
The update matters because county officials said farmers and fairgoers use the route as a local connector and the reopening will remove a detour. "If everything literally falls exactly the way it's supposed to be ... it will open sometime this afternoon," the Secondary Roads representative said.
The official described the project as in the "end stages," with guardrail crews needing a half day and traffic-control and paper-marking crews scheduled to finish. The county cautioned that weather or unavoidable contractor delays could push the opening to the following day.
On Minneapolis Road, the county repeated a previously given target that has changed several times. "The last update we had as far as Minneapolis Road is possibly mid August for an opening on that," the Secondary Roads representative said, but added the county would not "stand by that" because the date was set by the state Department of Transportation and had shifted in the past. The speaker noted the DOT has said the road must be opened by mid-September.
Secondary Roads also summarized progress on Highway 99 and other maintenance work: the main line is finished, crews are working on approaches from north to south, shoulder work and gravel approaches are planned within days, and several locations have received crack-sealing and spot repairs. The representative warned drivers to slow for small lips where new asphalt meets older pavement and said the county will issue a press release once Danville Road officially reopens.
The Secondary Roads update included a reminder that weather forecasts — with rain expected midweek and into the weekend — could slow work on a bridge project and other dirt work currently under way.
County officials did not set binding deadlines for the state-managed portions of the Minneapolis Road work and emphasized the schedule remains dependent on the state contractor and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
