Work begins on Floyd interchange project’s conclusion

Work crews removed the median crossover lanes at the Floyd interchange on the Avenue of the Saints this week, as part of some final work to finish up the project that began construction work three years ago and planning well before that. Press photo by Bob Steenson

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

There is a bit of deja vu for travelers through the Avenue of the Saints Floyd interchange this week, as the eastbound and westbound lanes are both marked off with signs and warning cones taking them down to a single lane each and a 55 mph speed limit.

After two years of construction and rerouting on U.S. Highway 18/Iowa Highway 27, the interchange opened up earlier this year with two lanes going each direction on the divided highway, newly built bridge overpasses, a constant 65 mph speed limit through the area, and exit and entrance ramps to do away with the at-grade stop signs and turning lanes that had caused confusion and sometimes accidents for years.

Starting this week, however, limited construction has resumed for at least a short while, said, Jason Ruter, construction technician supervisor with the Iowa Department of Transportation, who is in charge of this project.

Ruter said that crews are grinding off the asphalt in the areas where crossover lanes had been built between the eastbound and westbound lanes. The lanes allowed all traffic to be diverted to one side or the other so that bridge construction and other work could be done on the other side.

When asked why the state goes to the expense of removing those crossovers, Ruter said he sometimes wonders that himself. But, he said, they are designed to be temporary. Sometimes they interfere with drainage, and if left in place they would have to have guard rails installed to prevent people from crossing over to the other side, whether on purpose or by accident.

The state wants to avoid providing ways for people to get into trouble, he said.

All of the surface asphalt as well as the rock layer subbase will be recycled for other construction projects, he said.

Ruter said items still left on the project, in addition to removing the crossover lanes, are:

• Putting in some curb and gutters, especially on the road under the bridges, and putting in storm sewer.

• Cutting rumble strips on the shoulders – a process that will take two to four days and will again require temporary lane closures.

• Cutting in grooves on the centerline dividing the two lanes of each side of the divided highway, so that marking paint applied over and into the grooves will last longer.

• Repainting lane markings on the whole project.

• Installing some field fencing to mark the boundaries of the right of way.

• Removing some erosion control.

• Planting grass seed. Some grass seed was planted last fall, but some still needs to be planted, especially along Highway 218 under the bridges.

Ruter said the project isn’t officially done until at least 70% of the new grass has grown in. He said there have been challenges with that in the last couple of very dry years.

But everything “should be wrapped up by the first part of June,” he said.

Ruter said the project is coming to a conclusion at a little over the bid price, which was $19.6 million. The total construction cost, once the curb and gutter work is completed, should be about $21.2 million – about 8% above the bid price – “which is pretty good, it really is,” he said.

“It’s been a good job,” Ruter said. “This one has really, in my eyes, been really smooth. I’m the one that writes all the change orders, so you usually judge a project by how many change orders we have. This one has been pretty decent, in my opinion.”

The state spent a little over $2 million to purchase required right of way in the area of the interchange project, according to Pete Hjelmstad, field services coordinator for District Two of the Iowa Department of Transportation.