SIOUX CITY, Iowa –  If you’re one of the thousands of tourists who flock to Iowa’s Great Lakes region each summer, a new construction project will help make getting around the area between Arnold’s Park and Okoboji a lot easier. The project led by the Iowa Department of Transportation is planned to be completed in 2024 and will improve pavement, intersections, and sidewalks. Details of the project are now available on a new Iowa DOT website. The DOT says they will do their “best not to interrupt your summer plans in the area by completing the road work during “off-peak” tourist season (before Memorial Day and after Labor Day). The work is scheduled to be completed in four phases over two years.

The website includes more information on the schedule and details of the project including how the project will affect your travel. Improvements you can expect to see in the area when the project is done include:

• New pavement on U.S. 71 from Okoboji Grove Road in Arnolds Park through Okoboji View Avenue in Okoboji
• Extension of the three-lane section of U.S. 71 to the south of Lake Street.
• Improved mobility in the area by updating the sidewalks to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
• New barrier rail that separates vehicles from pedestrians on the causeway
• Aesthetic enhancements on the causeway barrier rail and updated pavement in the space between the road and the barrier rail
• New traffic signals at Lake Street and Linden Street in Arnolds Park

For questions, contact Dakin Schultz at Dakin.schultz@iowadot.us or 712-274-5837