The governors of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota are calling on Congress to end the deadlock that’s shut down the federal government. The three met at the Tri-States Governors Conference in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, on Wednesday. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, a Republican, says he deals with split government, with Democrats controlling the Iowa Senate, and they can find agreements.

“I don’t spend my time attacking the Democratic leader in the Senate, I don’t call him names and things like that,” Branstad says. “Instead, I focus on things that can help move Iowa forward. I know at the end of the day, I’m going to have to compromise. It’s gotta’ be a win-win situation and things that the other party can see as beneficial as well.”

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman, a Republican, says there is plenty of blame to go around in Washington D-C.  “Both parties are at fault,” Heineman says. “It is now time for the president to exert presidential leadership, in my opinion, bring everybody down to the White House, say, ‘We’re going to the basement and I’m only going to feed you bread and water ’til we get this thing resolved.’ Doggone it, it’s time to do what’s right for America and that’s what they should do.”

South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, a Republican, says the states will feel more effects the longer the shutdown continues. “To the extent that we have employees and programs that are reliant on federal funds, we’ve been pretty careful to steward those funds over the years,” Daugaard says. “We’ve got some that are available that can carry us at least to the end of the month, of October. Some will carry longer than that but some won’t.”

The three governors meet every year, with the meetings rotating around the Sioux City area of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa)

A portion of Interstate 80 in western Iowa that was closed overnight to repair a collapsed portion of the shoulder that could have affected the entire width of the three-lane road, re-opened this morning, just in time for the rush hour. Troy Jerman, with the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 Office in Atlantic, told KJAN News the road re-opened today (Thursday) at 8-a.m.

Jerman says contrary to some earlier reports, the Interstate itself did not collapse at around 8:15-p.m. Wednesday, and create a 10-foot gap, two-to three-feet deep. He says it was just the shoulder that gave way. Immediately afterward, crews stopped working and investigated how extensive the void was.

Jerman says the situation began to unfold while crews were installing a pipe beneath the road located between Exits 1-A and 4, in Council Bluffs. Workers discovered a void that ran under the eastbound lanes, so they were closed to traffic. Jerman says they’re still not sure what caused the void.

Jerman says crews worked throughout the night to make sure the road would be open as quickly as possible.

(He says they cut a 10-foot section of the interstate out where the void was, backfilled it with granular materials and put a patch of pavement on top.)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Transportation Department expects to reopen eastbound Interstate 80 this (Thursday) morning.  District 4 engineer Troy Jerman says the pavement patch should be cured and ready for use by 8 a.m.

Jerman says a portion of the interstate shoulder collapsed about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday as workers were installing a pipe under the roadway. They discovered a void that ran under the eastbound lanes, so they were closed to traffic.

Drivers trying to cross from Nebraska into Iowa had been advised to seek other routes on Thursday. They were directed north to the Interstate 680 or south to the Veterans Memorial Bridge in southern Omaha. Westbound lanes remained in use.