Major roadwork planned near Ainsworth this fiscal year

AINSWORTH — The Washington County Board of Supervisors authorized a representative to sign a detour route Tuesday morning for road reconstruction planned on Highway 92 that will run from east of Ainsworth to Second Street in Columbus Junction. The route is heavily trafficked by commuters between Washington and Louisa counties.

Washington County Engineer Jacob Thorius said the Iowa Department of Transportation agreement would establish County Road G36 — a few miles north — as the detour route to reach Louisa County, rather than Riverside’s Highway 22, as the Department of Transportation had initially proposed.

“The state did that back when they did some work two years ago west of Columbus Junction,” Thorius said. “The bulk of the traffic actually took our road and tore up our road, and there was nothing we could do about it.”

Thorius said he and the Louisa County Engineer’s office made a joint appeal to the DOT to officially mark G36 as the detour, a move that would shift maintenance burdens to the state while the stretch of Highway 92 remains closed.

“Even though I don’t want your traffic on my road, I would rather get compensated for your traffic coming on my road,” Thorius said. “They will take care of the road and (maintain) the road while construction is going on, and pay us a compensation based on traffic, time, trucks and anything else that may come up.”

An exact timeline for the construction is not yet official, but the agreement signed by Thorius Tuesday morning estimates an unspecified start date this fiscal year, and end date next fiscal year.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com