Detour on Edgewood Road at Highway 100 Delayed to Tuesday

A planned detour of traffic on Edgewood Road NE for construction of an overpass at Highway 100 has been delayed until Tuesday morning.

Cathy Cutler, transportation planner with the Iowa Department of Transportation, said a contractor needed to complete installation of traffic signals on Monday and additional concrete 'jersey barriers' were delivered to complete the detour.

'We're going to wait until after the morning commute on Tuesday to switch everything over,' Cutler said. 'We will begin taking out the existing bridge fairly soon, replacing it with new spans and paving beneath it for Highway 100.

'We think it will take about 15 months to complete the project. Contractor should be able to work through the winter months using structural concrete for paving.'

A temporary road constructed west of the existing bridge will allow north and southbound traffic to continue using Edgewood Road NE, but it will be restricted to a single lane in each direction. Maximum speed will be 25 miles per hour through the construction zone.

Traffic traveling south on Edgewood Road from Blairs Ferry Road NE will enter Highway 100 east using the right side of the westbound ramp and cross over into the eastbound lanes. Motorists traveling north will use the existing eastbound ramp to enter Highway 100.

Cutler said Ushers Ferry Road NE from Blairs Ferry Road NE south to River Ridge Boulevard NE will reopen in about two weeks. Motorists will be able to use Ushers Ferry Road to access either River Ridge or 42nd Street,

Cutler said grading and site stabilization work began about eight months ago for the proposed Highway 100 bridge over the Cedar River. She said the bridge is still on track to allow opening the Highway 100 section from Edgewood Road NE to Covington in 2018.

'We're expecting the Covington to Highway 30 phase of Highway 100 to open in 2020,' Cutler said.

The eight-mile Highway 100 extension, long in the planning, is projected to cost $200 million.