Road Report: Oct. 30, 2023

Construction season is here, and so is our weekly look at what projects are done, where you’ll find traffic impacts and what’s scheduled next.

What’s done

Western and I-229: Work on Western Avenue over Interstate 229 was completed last week. All lanes are now open to traffic!

Work consisted of bridge repairs, bridge resurfacing and widening the northbound on-ramp to I-229 to accommodate a dual left turn lane for southbound traffic on Western.

57th Street: 57th Street reopened to traffic between Veterans Parkway and Six Mile Road on Oct. 25 after being closed since April for reconstruction and widening.

Improvements included installation of underground utilities, four lanes of concrete surfacing, a raised center median, streetlights and site restoration.

What’s underway

26th Street: All asphalt paving work was completed last week on the north side of 26th Street between Cleveland and Alpine avenues.

Crews need to adjust the manholes and valve boxes to the new street surface elevation and stripe the westbound lanes before 26th Street can fully reopen to traffic.

Work is expected to be complete in two to three weeks.

Sixth Street: The bridge deck for the Unity Bridge on Sixth Street at the Big Sioux River has reached its design strength, and the contractor has removed the forms.

Additional work remaining on the bridge includes pouring concrete for the curbs and light columns.

The contractor also is working on installing the utility conduits through the 42-inch diameter bore hole that was drilled through the quartzite rock under the railroad tracks.

The intersection of Sixth Street and Weber Avenue will reopen early this week. All work on this project will be complete in 2024.

41st & I-29: The northbound off-ramp from Interstate 29 to 41st Street reopened Oct. 27. The off-ramp had been closed for grading and paving work for several weeks.

Traffic on 41st Street also was moved to both sides of the bridge median with one lane in each direction and turn lanes at major intersections. A pedestrian route across the south side of the bridge is in place. The contractor is working on cleaning up items and prepping the project for winter.

All lanes will be open for the winter. The interchange will be transformed into the diverging diamond configuration in the spring of 2024.

12th Street: The outside westbound lane of 12th Street closed between Western and Westport avenues Oct. 27 to allow crews to perform sidewalk repairs.  Lane closures will be limited to a block or two at each repair location and will move west as the work progresses. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

22nd Street: The westbound lane of 22nd Street closed at Kiwanis Avenue on Oct. 27 to allow crews to perform sidewalk repairs. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

What’s next

Minnesota Avenue: Beginning today, the outside northbound lane of Minnesota Avenue will be closed between 57th Street and the Big Sioux River bridge to allow crews to perform concrete repairs. Each repair location will be limited to a block or two and will move north as the work progresses. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.

14th Street: Beginning today, the outside westbound lane on 14th Street will be closed at Eighth Avenue to allow crews to perform utility work. This work is expected to be complete in about two days.

Kiwanis Avenue: Beginning today, the outside southbound lane on Kiwanis Avenue will be closed between Second and Third streets to allow crews to work on a gas line. This work is expected to be complete in one day.

Minnesota Avenue: Beginning Tuesday, the inside northbound lane, the inside southbound lane and the center turn lane of Minnesota Avenue will be closed between 14th and 18th streets to allow crews to perform sewer lining work. This work is expected to be complete in two to three days.

Marion Road: Beginning Wednesday, the outside southbound lane of Marion Road will be closed between 12th Street and Dardanella Road to allow crews to perform sidewalk repairs. This work is expected to be complete in about one week.