Iowa DOT Reopens I-680 Two Months Ahead of Schedule

The Iowa Department of Transportation held a ceremony Wednesday near Council Bluffs to celebrate the early reopening of Interstate 680, which had been closed since late May due to devastating flooding along the Missouri River.A three-mile section of I-680, from north of Council Bluffs west across the river into Omaha, Nebraska, was virtually obliterated when excessive snow melt and heavy rain throughout the upper Missouri River basin area resulted in historic flooding that began May 25.

Reconstruction of this stretch of interstate took just 34 days; it was completed two months ahead of schedule. I-680 runs through western and northern Omaha, connecting Interstate 80 in Nebraska with Interstate 29 in Iowa.

“Businesses come to a standstill when transportation systems do not work,” Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said in a statement. Mendez attended Wednesday’s ceremony. “We must invest in our infrastructure so people can get back and forth to work and school, and products can get to markets. With transportation investments, we have an opportunity to put people back to work at the same time, so it’s a win-win.”

Mendez lauded IowaDOT for using incentive clauses in the contract that allowed I-680 to open earlier than planned. Shifts of workers kept the project moving forward for 14 hours or more per day, and sometimes around the clock.

In July, the Federal Highway Administration made $2 million in quick-release emergency funds available to IowaDOT as a downpayment on additional reimbursements for work done on federal-aid highways after the flooding damage, which was estimated at a total of $45 million. The cost of the restored section of I-680 is $19 million.

John Adam, IowaDOT Highway Division director, shared at last month’s AASHTO Annual Meeting his state’s response to the massive flooding that occurred along the Missouri River. (see Oct. 28 AASHTO Journal story)

IowaDOT has posted time-lapse video of images captured during reconstruction of this section of interstate at 1.usa.gov/I-680video.

Second Missouri River Bridge Also Reopened Wednesday

Iowa 175 between Onawa, Iowa, and Decatur, Nebraska, including the Missouri River toll bridge, reopened to traffic Wednesday evening. This highway and bridge were also impacted by the flooding and had been closed since June 27.

Opening of the Decatur Bridge marks the third and final Missouri River crossing to be reopened as part of IowaDOT’s fast-track flood-recovery effort. The pace of rebuilding and repair work continues to exceed expectations, according to the department.

IowaDOT has posted a collection of photos taken this summer and fall of the flooding and subsequent rebuilding projects at I-680, I-29, Iowa 2, Iowa 175, Iowa 333, and U.S. 30 at 1.usa.gov/IowaDOTfloods. Additional video showing the flood mitigation work and damaged roadways is available at 1.usa.gov/IowaDOTfloodsvideo.