County engineer: state law will make unsigned paved roads 60 mph; county plans to use stickers on signs

Des Moines County’s engineer told the Board of Supervisors on June 16 that a recently passed state law makes unsigned paved roads default to 60 mph and that the county intends to comply by applying approved stickers to existing speed-limit signs rather than replacing every sign.

"We're going to go ahead we have ordered the stickers," Brian Carter said, summarizing the department’s approach to bring signage into compliance. He said the law allows stickers in the statutory language and that his office expects the stickers to arrive in July.

Carter described a practical review process: staff will first pull existing sign data from plans and, where plan data are insufficient, perform limited field surveys or use rented slope-measure equipment to determine safe speeds for curves and locations where 'no passing' and advisory signs are needed. "So, our hope is that most of the data we can get off the plans will let us make those decisions," he said.

Carter also reported a localized problem with stolen and vandalized signs in an area with Amish horse traffic, saying crews had repeatedly cleaned or replaced some signs. He described one type of vandalism: "creative individuals drawing anatomy on the horses," and said staff are exploring ways to protect sign faces in frequently targeted locations.

County staff and board members clarified that Iowa Department of Transportation traffic-count hoses placed across roads are used for data collection, not radar enforcement.

The engineer said the county will proceed with sticker application where signs exist and will schedule additional evaluation of specific curves and sight-line issues as time and staffing permit.