Highway F17 closed due to bridge replacement

BAXTER — Traffic driving eastbound on Highway F17 will need to take a detour for the next few months until construction of a new bridge near North Skunk River is completed.

Marked detours on Highways F36 and S52 will divert traffic between Newton and Baxter.

The closure, located near the intersection of F17 and Highway 14, began July 10. The bridge was approved for letting by the Jasper County Board of Supervisors in March and coincides with the county’s five-year plan, laid out in late February, to replace or rehabilitate more than a dozen bridges in the next fiscal year.

Jasper County Engineer Russ Stutt said the bridge over North Skunk River was deteriorating and in need of replacement. Weight limits also restricted access to the structure which sees more than 1,500 vehicles a day.

“I think 1,540 was our last traffic count provided by IDOT (Iowa Department of Transportation). That’s pretty high traffic for Jasper County,” Stutt said.

One of the most traveled county roads is Highway F48, Stutt added. By comparison, the bridge over Cherry Creek near Westwood Golf Course in Newton sees close to 2,500 vehicles per day; another F48 bridge over Prairie Creek sees about 2,300.

Both bridges were recently approved for funding through the Federal-Aid Swap County Highway Bridge Program. The bridge over Cherry Creek is estimated to cost $796,000 while the Prairie Creek bridge is estimated to cost $540,000.

Construction of the F17 bridge is expected to finish late October or early November, Stutt said.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at
641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or
cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com