I'd rather let the DOT decide on what's needed here honestly. And their studies say traffic only really justifies super-2 expansions rather than an extremely expensive 4-lane conversion.
Much higher priorities exist IMO.
Old 30
- Thread starter CloneFanInKC
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I'd rather let the DOT decide on what's needed here honestly. And their studies say traffic only really justifies super-2 expansions rather than an extremely expensive 4-lane conversion.
Much higher priorities exist IMO.
Much needed! However it still makes me nervous to travel on HWY30 as it is so dangerous at certain points!
I have only traveled HWY30 between Ames and Clinton...and there are barely any 2 lane stretches left...what is it like west of Ames toward Nebraska?
After drving back and forth from Ames to home for the past 40 years along 30, I never thought I would see this happen from Ogden to Carroll.
Like follow the leader two lanes from Ogden to I believe Blair, NE.
Probably should go to a single lane heading to Nebraska and three lanes leaving Nebraska...
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KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Wasn’t he the biology teacher? I had class with him, but I am not him.Say, are you, by any chance, Mr. Dugan?
How often do you travel that corridor between Ogden west? What are higher priorities?
Off the top of my head:
6-laning I-80 from Des Moines east to the Illinois border. Same for 35 between Ankeny and Ames (part of this is happening now between Ankeny and Huxley but the remainder is way off). The DOT has said that most areas of 30 that are not currently 4 lanes can have their traffic levels adequately covered by super 2 conversions which are much cheaper. The traffic counts just dont justify 4-laning this across the state and especially not spending billions to do it.
Things like this really shouldn't be decided legislatively. That's what we have the DOT for, to look at data and make decisions and set priorities based on data, not based on whichever groups might have political pull to get roads changed.
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To me, the sector from IA-44 to I-29 alone, especially through Logan and Missouri Valley would be problematic. That said, it was a long running joke that you could never exceed 45 MPH in that area because of the slow elderly drivers and farmers on that stretch of road.
And dangerous. Bouncing off curbs at higher speeds is not good for car control.
It's an irrelevant question. Data is what matters. The traffic counts are super low west of Ogden.
LOL you never want to see anywhere develop except the the metro and the interstate corridors. If I remember correctly you were pissed when they finished hwy 20.
59 in western Iowa had them, too. Kept shoulder erosion to a minimum, now every time it rains more than an inch there is a ditch along the road.
Because that similarly had traffic counts that did not justify the expense of 4 lanes. Meanwhile some of these roads like I-80 are a downright traffic hazard due to the congestion they often see.
It has nothing to do with "not wanting to see anywhere develop" and everything to do with not wanting to waste money on political pet projects when data shows it being an unnecessary use of the money. You don't spend a couple billion dollars on roads no one is using in hopes that it'll make somewhere develop. That's just silly.
If you want to see road construction on interstates, visit Illinois. It’s non-stop. There is a section of I-294 I swear they have been working on for the last 20 years.
I get what you are saying though, Interstates need more help than US highways at the moment.
I’d love to see what a native Iowan thinks about an actual traffic jam.
