Construction of the new Highway 218/18/27/Avenue of the Saints interchange at Floyd entered a new phase last week.
Pete Hjelmstad is the Field Services Coordinator for the Iowa DOT’s Mason City district office. He says traffic flow is now in a head-to-head pattern using the westbound lanes for about one mile in each direction of the intersection. Hjelmstad says this allows for roadwork on the eastbound lanes, which will take the entire construction season.
Hjelmstad adds that traffic signals will also be in place during the construction and that County Road T-44 leading from the interchange to the Valero Renewables ethanol plant will also be closed off.
Hjelmstad acknowledges the whole process won’t always be easy on motorists.
Cedar Valley Corporation of Waterloo has been contracted for the project at a cost of about $20 million.
