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County engineer details bridge work, road projects and traffic concerns at 580 interchange
Summary
Story County’s engineer reported on multiple road and bridge projects — including the Maxwell Bridge reopening, E 15 and E 41 overlays, and the Skunk River bridge — and described congestion at the 580/Highway 30 interchange tied to a rapidly growing church congregation; staff said they are coordinating with Iowa DOT and an MDST team on solutions.
County Engineer Darren Stern briefed the Story County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 14 about current and planned road and bridge work, heavy equipment and plow-truck deliveries, federal grant applications, and a traffic-congestion issue near the 580/Highway 30 interchange.
Stern reported that E 15 overlay work completed, that a 500-and-Tenth Avenue paving project began that day north of Ames, and that the Maxwell Bridge structure is finished with some remaining road and dirt work expected to conclude soon. He said the Stagecoach box culvert and several other projects are complete or nearing completion for the construction season.
“We’re starting the paving work on that today,” Stern said of the 500-and-Tenth Avenue project, noting the contractor began work while avoiding rain delays.
Stern described federal grant work in progress, including the County’s CHBP application and an HSIP award of $50,000 for portable traffic lights already delivered in July. He said the county is pursuing a federal bridge-bundling strategy for grant competitiveness and anticipates a $700,000 estimate for one bridge if the CHBP grant is awarded.
Stern also flagged recurring congestion at the 580 interchange near a large church campus; he said the church’s membership had grown by roughly 50% in two years and Sunday services draw substantial short-duration traffic spikes. The church has requested a stoplight at the ramp; Stern said portions of the problem involve Iowa DOT-controlled ramps and that the county’s multidisciplinary safety team (MDST) — which includes Ames, DOT and law enforcement — is meeting to develop options.
“We’re looking at all the options. Really, we’re just brainstorming in the next month’s MDST meeting,” Stern said. He noted that a permanent traffic signal could cost about $2.3 million and that federal safety funds typically require evidence of severe accidents to qualify.
Stern also told the board the county finally received a plow truck ordered more than three years ago and that additional trucks ordered will arrive in fiscal 2027. He said the road shop expansion project is in the capital improvement plan for FY26 and that staff are nearing final plans for meeting and lunchroom expansions and a heated truck wash bay.
Board members asked about potential federal funding for signalization and whether alternate access routes could reduce congestion. Stern said the county will pursue DOT coordination and other options, including encouraging the church to stagger service times or consider using a secondary gravel access road for emergency egress.
No formal board action was taken; the briefing was delivered as the engineer’s quarterly report.
