Iowa DOT delays U.S. 30 flood mitigation work

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is delaying installation of the flood barrier wall along portions of the north side of U.S. 30 from the Missouri River crossing (at Blair, Neb.) to Interstate 29 (near Missouri Valley).

The work and closure of U.S. 30 had been scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5. Due to the delay, the roadway will be open to travel on Tuesday.

Flood waters continue to fill the basin that extends north and south of U.S. 30, but appears to be leveling off.  Waters have stabilized south of U.S. 30 and are only rising slightly north of the roadway. Water being released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now steady at the current peak level of 160,000 cfs.

The Iowa DOT will notify the public of any future flood mitigation work at this location after the department performs a further assessment of actual site conditions this week.

As a reminder, flood mitigation work being performed at this site is intended to address a specific scenario---breaches that occur south or downstream of U.S. 30.

This site remains on the Iowa DOT's list of roadways at “high-risk of closure due to flooding” because of its continued vulnerability to a levee breach north or upstream of U.S. 30. The duration and severity of the flooding is putting tremendous pressure on the levee systems. Placement of the TrapBags® on both sides of the roadway in lower-lying areas does not prevent an inundation of U.S. 30 should a breach occur in the agricultural levee north of the highway.  Due to the characteristics of this site, no mitigation strategies were feasible for a northern breach.

For the latest information on flooded roads in Iowa through the Fourth of July holiday weekend, call 511 (in Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (anywhere in the U.S.) or visit

www.iowadot.gov (click on the flooding ahead sign).