US 218 at Floyd interchange to be closed at times Monday and Tuesday at times due to bridge beams being placed

FLOYD — Motorists planning to use US Highway 218 near Floyd during the evening early next week should be advised of the road and intersection being closed at times. 

Pete Hjelmstad with the Iowa Department of Transportation says it’s one of the milestones of the Floyd interchange project with the setting of the beams for the new bridge for westbound traffic on Monday and Tuesday night.  “So, to have the smallest impact as possible on traffic, we are going to set those beams at night. When we set those beams, we’re obviously going to have to be closing the intersection at that point, because we’re not going to be swinging large concrete beams over moving traffic.”

Hjelmstad says the work will start at about 7 o’clock each night and hopefully be done by 11:00. He says if you are traveling through that area, you should try to find an alternate route.   “If you do end up coming through there, if a beam is being placed, you will be stopped if you are traveling southbound 218, and you will be stopped until the beam is set, and then they will let traffic through and then again close it for the next beam. They’ll be doing four beams on Monday and three on Tuesday.”

Hjelmstad says County Road T-44 will be closed south of the intersection starting at 170th Street for a few hours, but eastbound-westbound traffic on US 18 will be open.  “You will be able to continue moving through the area. You will be guided through the intersection at the end of the ramps by law enforcement during the beam setting, and during that time, you will not be able to turn north to go north on 218.”

Hjelmstad says if you do get caught while a beam is being set, it will take about 20-30 minutes before the road is reopened.