The Iowa Dept. of Transportation reports flood waters are beginning to recede in some flooded areas around Iowa. However, just because water may no longer remain on the roadway that does not mean the roads are ready to be opened to traffic. There are several stages the Iowa Department of Transportation must go through to make sure roadways are safe for you to travel.

Depending on the extent of damage caused by floodwaters, the recovery process may take anywhere from a few days to several months. As soon as floodwaters recede, the Iowa DOT is working as diligently as possible to move through the recovery process and reopen the roadway.

The following is a list of roads currently closed due to flooding and what the recovery process is:

• I-29 in both directions, MILE MARKER 0-10 Between the Missouri State Line (near Hamburg) and the Iowa 2 interchange (south of Percival) – Water over the roadway
• I-29 in both directions, MILE MARKER 10-25 Between the Iowa 2 interchange (South of Percival) and one mile north of Bartlett – Debris on the road, cleanup in progress.
• I-29 in both directions MILE MARKER 25-35 Between one mile north of Bartlett and the U.S. 34 interchange (near Glenwood) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• I-29 in both directions MILE MARKER 55-61 Between North 25th Street in Council Bluffs and the I-680 interchange (near Crescent) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• I-29 in both directions MILE MARKER 61-71 Between the I-680 interchange (near Crescent) and the I-680 interchange (near Loveland) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• I-680 in both directions MILE MARKER 0-3 Between the I-29 interchange (Old Mormon Bridge Road near Crescent) and I-680 in Nebraska (Mormon Bridge) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• U.S. 34 westbound MILE MARKER 0-4 Between the Nebraska State Line and the I-29 interchange (near Pacific Junction) – Debris on the road, cleanup in progress.
• U.S. 275 in both directions MILE MARKER 0-2 Between the Missouri State Line and Iowa 333 (near Hamburg) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.
• Iowa 2 in both directions MILE MARKER 0-10 Between the Missouri River bridge at the Nebraska State Line and U.S. 275/ Fremont County Road J-46 (near Sidney) – Water on the road, waiting for the water to recede before cleanup and inspection.
• Iowa 333 in both directions Between I-29; Fremont County Road J-64 and U.S. 275 (near Hamburg) – Water on the road, waiting for the water to recede before cleanup and inspection
• Iowa 4 in both directions Between Palo Alto County Road B-53 and U.S. 18 (one mile south of Emmetsburg) – Water on the road, waiting for the water to recede before cleanup and inspection
• Iowa 141 in both directions Between Woodbury County Road K-64 (near Hornick) and Iowa 31 (near Smithland) – Testing & inspecting of the road & structures’ ability to handle traffic.

Barriers blocking access to roads will remain in place until the road has been deemed safe for traffic. If you see a barricade, don’t drive around it. Just because a road looks safe, doesn’t mean it is safe. While some structural damage to the road surface is very visible, damage to the ground underneath the road may be more difficult to see. Barricades are in place to protect you from hurting yourself, damaging your vehicle, and potentially causing further damage to the road. If you are a resident or property owner and need to get to your property, your county emergency management office can help coordinate safe access. For the latest in flooding information and recovery resources, go to https://floods2019.iowa.gov/