March 29, 2024

Open house highlights detour routes for spring F48 closure

Public reacts to simultaneous bridge replacement

The public got the best look yet Thursday night at detour routes for Highway F48, as the county prepares to close a portion of the road to replace two aging bridges crossing Prairie and Cherry Creeks west of Newton this spring.

During the open house at the Jasper County Community Center in Newton, county officials said the stretch of highway between the two bridges will be closed for four to five months during construction which is expected to begin in mid-April.

A letter dated March 13 was mailed to local residents impacted by the closure, detailing the detour routes. Enlarged versions were available for view at the community center Thursday night. Outside traffic heading to Newton will be redirected north off F48 on Highway S52 North, then east on Highway F36 West and finally south on Highway 14.

Residents and local traffic between the bridge closures will be redirected on rural roads West 52nd Street North, North 19th Avenue West and West 28th Street North.

According to Assistant County Engineer Pam Olson, bridge construction will begin no later than April 15, and demolition of the bridges, according to Iowa Department of Transportation Permits, will begin between the project start date and May 15. With an increased risk of flooding this spring, Olson said they are hoping for dry weather.

“We’re going to hope for low water until they get the pylons in. Once they get those in, (crews) are pretty much out of the water,” Olson said.

The Newton Daily News previously reported the board of supervisors approved the bridges crossing Cherry Creek and Prairie Creek for demolition and rebuild at its March 12 meeting. Both construction projects were awarded to Herberger Construction Company, Inc. of Indianola — $828,152 for the bridge over Cherry Creek and $749,085 over Prairie Creek.

The IDOT approves the timeline for closure, as Highway F48 is an emergency detour route for Interstate 80, which gives the agency some jurisdiction. Work crews have been given 85 working days to complete the bridge over Prairie Creek and 80 working days for the Cherry Creek Bridge, county engineer Russ Stutt said.

According to Stutt, the four to five months time frame does depend on the weather.

The county engineering office has been working to improve the surface quality of the roads on the detour route in anticipation of the project, including an overlay on North 19th Avenue West. Gravel roads on the route will go through dust mitigation, which Stutt said will make the surface feel like a paved road for the duration of construction.

“Our guys are going to be giving extra attention to the gravel roads in the area,” Stutt said. “(On) this road that we just rebuilt we’re going to dust control the entire thing. For at least a year, dust control makes it feel like a temporary hard surface.”

County crews will be inspecting the contractor’s work during construction, and the IDOT will do concrete testing and act as a check and balance for the county’s inspection logs, Olson said. Herberger contractors will be responsible for dust mitigation on the gravel on the detour during the project.

Many residents have noted businesses such as the Valle Drive-In could be especially impacted by the F48 closure. Stutt said they’ve been in contact with the theater, Sugar Grove Vineyards and Warrick Motors throughout the planning process.

“We actually met last fall with the drive-in, and they were really good and understanding,” Stutt said.

Way-finding signs have been created for each business and will be set up on the detour routes.

Residents who live on or near the highway and use F48 as a primary commuting route had mixed reactions the closure. Doneta Sullivan, who works in Newton, said having both bridges closed simultaneously will be more than an inconvenience for her and her neighbors.

“These are the only two ways we’ve ever gone in the 35 years we’ve lived out here and now they’re both cut off now — two directions. I don’t think that’s fair at all,” Sullivan said. “To me, it would have been better to do them one at a time.”

Others are more sympathetic to the county’s attempt to keep the F48 closure to only four to five months.

“I have to drive on (I)-80 every day. Is it going to be a pain in the butt? Yes. But they have to do it sometime,” said Linda Riggs, who also lives off F48. “We’ll just have to deal with it and go.”

Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma, who also attended Thursday’s meeting, reassured residents that county officials explored every option and determined closing both bridges would be the shortest headache for drivers.

“Leaving a lane open isn’t an option because it’s an entire bridge replacement,” Talsma said. “We decided to do them both at the same time so it would be a minimal inconvenience for as short of an amount of time as possible.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com