Des Moines County, IA –
Des Moines County
Des Moines County closed Tama Road in mid-May. Part of the road, which intersects Highway 99 north of the city, was washed away during heavy rain and flash flooding.
County Engineer Brian Carter says the plan is to rebuild the road with the knowledge that a nearby creek will flood during heavy rain. He says dips would be built into Tama Road so the excess water has somewhere to flow.
Carter says the project could cost about $350,000. Half of the money is coming through the state's I-Jobs program.
Carter says the construction timeline will depend on weather conditions. He says the goal is to open the road by early October.
Dozens of home and business owners are forced to use detour routes with Tama Road closed.
Carter says some long-term planning is underway to see if flooding can eventually be prevented in Tama Road.
Des Moines County is still waiting for a Presidential Disaster Declaration from the mid-May flash flooding.
Van Buren County
The Iowa Department of Transportation could alter the design of a bridge being built in Van Buren County.
Farmington residents are worried about the height of the new Highway 2 bridge. They told the DOT, during a recent public meeting, that the bridge's lower beams could push the Des Moines River into town during severe flooding.
DOT Engineer Dave Claman says while the new bridge will be lower, it meets 50- and 100-year flood standards.
"Even if the beams get inundated by a flood greater than a 100-year flood, a lot of the flow would still get under the bridge and not impact upstream elevations," said Claman.
Claman says the DOT is re-examining the shape of the bridge's giant support piers and the grading on one side of the structure.
If weather cooperates, the new Highway 2 bridge could be completed before the end of the year.