Flooding shut down parts of Interstate 29 in southwest Iowa three times in 2019.
Three flood-prone sections were raised last year and while they’re still not flood-proof, the Iowa Department of Transportation says they are ready to weather future flooding.
Spokesman Austin Yates says I-29 and nearby I-680 are typically impacted the same way during a flood.
OC………”the other” :13
The three sections were raised different heights, ranging from two inches to 14 inches to more than two feet.
Yates says the new asphalt is a big clue something has changed, but drivers may not notice the road is higher.
He says it’s kind of like target practice.
OC………”to see that” :08
The three sections include northbound I-29 from Honey Creek to Loveland, a stretch of southbound I-29 north of Crescent, and a stretch near Blackbird Marsh.
Yates said flooding would’ve still closed those parts of I-29 in March, but not in September or June, if the changes had already been in place.
Katie Peikes Iowa Public Radio
