On Sunday Iowa DOT officals shut down I-29 between Crescent and Loveland due to rising water from the Missouri River. It was the fourth time since March that the stretch if interstate had to be closed because of flood waters.
As we move later into fall and closer to winter, Traffic Engineer Austin Yates tells 6 News he's concerned about the impact colder temperatures will have on the floodwaters. He says if floodwater freezes over I-29 we could be looking at a long-term closure. In addition, if water freezes under the road it will likely cause serious damage to the pavement.
For the past several weeks IDOT has been weighing the idea of possibly adding several feet of pavement to elevate the road above flood level or to possibly add some sort of temporary berm.
But Yates tells 6 News the problem with each of those options is that it will take some time and luck to get water off the road long enough.
“If the water doesn't drain out of the fields and then it freezes, then we could possibly be back into a situation like we were in March.” Yates says. “That's what started it in March was frozen ground, lot of rain and melting snow. So hopefully the freeze is enough away that we can get the water back down.”
Yates says their job is to keep drivers on the interstates.
(Photo: 6 News)