Crews working to open I-29 from Iowa to Missouri early for Memorial Day travelers

Interstate 29 could reopen to traffic from Iowa to Missouri by Memorial Day weekend.


Construction crews have made great progress at several places that received major damage from the March floods, said Scott Suhr, transportation planner/field services coordinator for the Iowa Department of Transportation's District 4 Office.
That includes: I-29 between the U.S. Highway 34 interchange near Glenwood and the Iowa-Missouri border, the Highway 34 connection between Glenwood and Bellevue, and I-29 north of the Crescent interchange.


Iowa had targeted June to reopen the Interstate closed between Glenwood and Missouri. But a Memorial Day opening would beat that goal and provide a key connection to Kansas City and points beyond in time for the big travel holiday.


Suhr said construction crews still have work to do, and a lot depends on what the weather and Missouri River do between now and Memorial Day.


But he said crews have been working around the clock. "It's progressing well."


If all goes according to plan, I-29 would be open from Sioux City to Kansas City. Even so, traffic in spots could be limited to one lane in each direction or run head-to-head, Suhr said.


It will be a welcome reopening to more than Interstate drivers.


In southeast Nebraska, towns along U.S. Highway 75 have seen traffic double or triple as drivers look for alternate routes. That has taxed locals' patience with the detour.
The Missouri Department of Transportation will be ready to reopen its part of I-29 when Iowa is, said Adam Watson, area engineer for the department's northwest district.


Missouri has kept I-29 closed north of St. Joseph to control access, not fix damage.


"We're ready to roll when they're ready," Watson said.