Legalize weed. Money problem solved. Pay for all the road work.
I-35 / US 30 Flyover Progress
- Thread starter scottie33
- Start date
Prioritizing transportation funds between maintenance and capital investments *and* where to make capital investments is a nightmarish and difficult process even for well-intended people trying to do a good and fair job regardless of political concerns.
All that being said, I come down with @alarson on this one.
According to this, average daily traffic on US-20...
https://iowadot.gov/maps/msp/traffic/2015/counties/SAC.pdf
...through Sac County is roughly 4,500 vehicles.
According to this site...
http://www.mikeontraffic.com/numbers-every-traffic-engineer-should-know/
2-lane = 24.6% capacity factor
4-lane = 12.2% capacity factor
That is heinously overbuilt. Pouring money into US-20, which was perfectly serviceable towards meeting the infrastructure needs of northwest Iowa, when there are developing problems (nothing compared to the East Coast, but for Iowa standards, yes) in the Ames and Des Moines area, between Waterloo and Iowa City, and with the bridges over the Mississippi and the Missouri, is an obnoxiously stupid use of money compared to the alternatives.
Highway 17 (the one that goes from US-30 between Boone and Ames south through Madrid, Granger, Grimes, and then into Des Moines) is increasingly becoming one of the important "back doors" into the area. It is two-lanes through Granger and already up to 6,400 per day according to the maps. It has 50% more traffic yet half the capacity of 20 right now.
Yeesh.
All that being said, I come down with @alarson on this one.
According to this, average daily traffic on US-20...
https://iowadot.gov/maps/msp/traffic/2015/counties/SAC.pdf
...through Sac County is roughly 4,500 vehicles.
According to this site...
http://www.mikeontraffic.com/numbers-every-traffic-engineer-should-know/
2-lane = 24.6% capacity factor
4-lane = 12.2% capacity factor
That is heinously overbuilt. Pouring money into US-20, which was perfectly serviceable towards meeting the infrastructure needs of northwest Iowa, when there are developing problems (nothing compared to the East Coast, but for Iowa standards, yes) in the Ames and Des Moines area, between Waterloo and Iowa City, and with the bridges over the Mississippi and the Missouri, is an obnoxiously stupid use of money compared to the alternatives.
Highway 17 (the one that goes from US-30 between Boone and Ames south through Madrid, Granger, Grimes, and then into Des Moines) is increasingly becoming one of the important "back doors" into the area. It is two-lanes through Granger and already up to 6,400 per day according to the maps. It has 50% more traffic yet half the capacity of 20 right now.
Yeesh.
30 carries at least 5,900 all the way through the county yet only the eastern quarter is 4 lane. Not to mention the topography makes it very hard to pass safely. Same story in Tama county where parts of it carry 7k. Yes these areas are finally getting worked on but the point stands IMO.
I also don't understand why we can't just add short length passing lanes every once in a while instead of spending the money and land developing huge 4 lane highways that won't ever carry close to a 50% load.
My father used to commute between Boone and Clinton twice per week.
He told me he basically retired because of 30 and that drive --
A series of disasters waiting to happen.
First time I've been up to a game in a long time. I see that the steel is all connected fully. So it at least all fit together. Just have to set up the pad and pave it. It might finally be done for football season. 
Great! That'll be a huge improvement.First time I've been up to a game in a long time. I see that the steel is all connected fully. So it at least all fit together. Just have to set up the pad and pave it. It might finally be done for football season.
Nah, it's gonna be like rainbow road up there.
Or the Hershey Highway with the scaredy cat way that so many Iowans drive. It will be like a roller coaster for them.
The typical barrier height for interstate and flyover type bridges is 44" (3'-8").
This bridge will actually have 50" tall barriers (4'-2"), comprised of a 32" tall concrete barrier with an 18" steel railing on top. So, slightly taller than typically required.
I agree 100% that making HWY 30 four lanes between HWY 218 and Tama will alleviate a lot of traffic from I-80 between Altoona and Ia City. I drive between eastern Iowa and Des Moines weekly and I currently split taking HWY 30 and I-80. Once HWY 30 is 4 lanes I will never take I-80, just to avoid the truck traffic.
Regardless I-80 needs to be 6 lanes from at least Des Moines to Iowa City and realistically at least to the I-74 interchange in Davenport. Driving on that highway with all of those trucks is just insanity.
I travel quite a bit and I would say I35 from East Mix to Ames 13th St is crazier than East side of Altoona to IA City. IA City to the river is bad too.
Increased lanes only adds more traffic. Just like more prisons creates more prisoners. Induced demand:
https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/
https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/
#3 starts in 2022
See info earlier in the thread: https://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/threads/i-35-us-30-flyover-progress.238944/page-16#post-6530238
So, doing nothing will fix the problem? Somehow, I don't think that's how that works.
The problem is they assume that the expansion causes increased traffic when the traffic was going to increae regardless. If they don’t expand the road it just means more stress in different places.
