The Iowa Department of Transportation reports a public information meeting will be held Tuesday, March 11th, to discuss the reconstruction of the Interstate 29 and U.S. 275/Iowa 92 interchange in Council Bluffs, which is scheduled to begin June 2014. All interested persons are invited to attend the meeting anytime between 4- and 7-p.m., at the Iowa School for the Deaf’s Community Room, Lied Multipurpose Complex, 3501 Harry Langdon Blvd., in Council Bluffs.

A group question-and-answer session will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a three-minute limit per speaker. The meeting will be conducted utilizing an open forum format. Iowa DOT staff will be present to informally discuss the proposed improvements. No formal presentation will be made.

The project construction area begins on I-29 from 1.3 miles south of U.S. 275 to just north of the U.S. 275 ramps and U.S. 275/Iowa 92 from Metro Mall Drive east to Harry Langdon Boulevard, including the I-29 and U.S. 275/Iowa 92 interchange. Proposed construction consists of new roadway embankments, walking trails, bridge structures, and other features, including the removal and reconstruction of six bridges and removal of portions of the existing roadway embankments.

The reconstruction also involves raising the interstate and U.S. 275 to accommodate the new railroad corridor for the railroad relocation project, which will require ramp closures and two-way traffic, with one lane in each direction, on U.S. 275/Iowa 92 during construction. Travelers may experience traffic delays and detours, which could impact access to businesses, schools, or other properties.

This construction is part of the Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program, a streamlined approach to planned construction projects to I-80, I-29, and I-480 in the Council Bluffs/Omaha metropolitan area. The program is the single largest project in the Iowa DOT’s 2014-2018 Five-Year Transportation Improvement Program.

For those who cannot attend the open house, a virtual, online meeting will be available beginning March 11 and can be accessed by visiting the project website at www.CouncilBluffsInterstate.IowaDOT.gov and clicking the online meeting link on the home page.