Highway construction projects in Mason City, Clear Lake nearing an end

MASON CITY — Construction on two highway projects in Mason City is nearing the end.

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Pete Hjelmstad says the concrete work on US Highway 65 in the southern part of the community is due to be completed today, but there’s a handful of punch-list items that still need to be done before the road can be completely finished.   “We still have got dirt work, we have to put up signs, we have to do signals, we have to paint. The painters are scheduled to come in on the 18th, and the plan is to have the highway open by the end of the day on the 18th, so six more days. If you can wait that long, that’s good news.”

Hjelmstad says work will also be finished up on the State Highway 122 project near MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center.  “We’ve got crosswalks to do, we’ve got sidewalks, we’ve got curb. All the paving should be done next week, and we hope to be out of head-to-head traffic by the 25th. Now there might be an outside lane closure, especially in the westbound lanes, but that shouldn’t be there too long, so good news there. We are looking to be out of head-to-head by the 25th.”

Work is also wrapping up on the bridge deck overlays on Interstate 35 in Clear Lake, with all the traffic control scheduled to be pulled off by tomorrow, but Hjelmstad says traffic control will go up a few days after because of an unfinished part of the project.  “There was a project there last year where we did a lot of asphalt work between the bridges, and that project also included some ditch work. Well, they didn’t finish the ditch work. Once the bridge project is done, that contractor from last year is going to move in and do the dirt work. So the lane closure will be off for a few days, then it will be back on for a few days, it shouldn’t much more than a week, and then they’ll have that thing wide open again.”

You can follow along with road construction projects by heading to the DOT’s  511ia.org website