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After more than five months of work, those looking to travel on the portion of Highway 14 under construction will have to wait a little longer. While primary work is set to be complete Aug. 19, the roadway will not open to full traffic until the north portion of the project catches up to the first phase.
“They are looking to be done — not everything, but the surface asphalt on the south section — by Aug. 19. Then they will start on the north section,” Iowa Department of Transportation Engineer Jacob Imming said. “We’ll get the north section to the same point the south section is in about mid-September.”
After both sections are equal, the IDOT plans to pave the final asphalt using a single lane closure. The road will have a pilot car and flagger set up throughout the work, making it the first time the stretch of highway will be officially open to traffic.
“Now, it is all going to be traversable, but it won’t be open,” Imming said. “Through traffic trying to get to Newton will still have to go around. We’ll still have the normal type three barriers up. Local traffic, those that live on Highway 14, will be able to use it.”
The section of Highway 14 between Highway F62 West known as Diamond Trail Road, and Highway F62 West that goes from Highway 14 to Reasnor will also be open for through traffic.
The project has Highway 14 resurfaced in two sections, first from the northern Monroe city limits to South 60th Avenue West, then extended to the southern Newton city limits.
“We’re behind on the schedule, mostly because of how wet it has been,” Imming said. “We lost a lot of time in the spring because of rain.”
For updated information on this road construction project and all roadwork underway, visit 511ia.org or call 511. Information is also available on Facebook and Twitter or on the free IDOT app.
Email and text alerts are available at new.511ia.org/#login to sign up. For general information about this project, contact Dustin Skogerboe, IDOT Marshalltown construction office, at 641-752-4657 or dustin.skogerboe@iowadot.us.