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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Road to Lake Darling reopens
Highway was closed on one side throughout spring and summer, delaying traffic between Brighton and Richland
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
BRIGHTON — Two seasons worth of roadwork have wrapped up on Highway 78 and Highway 1 in Washington County, and the road to Lake Darling State Park is once again open to travelers from both the east and west.
The construction started on the first day of spring, in March, and ended last week. The posted detour during construction brought commuters all the way north to West Chester, resulting in a lengthy delay for anyone traveling between, for example, Brighton and Richland, in neighboring Keokuk County.
Many drivers instead resorted to nearby gravel roads, where locals complained of dangerous speeding, newfound potholes, kicked-up dust and general disruptions to their usually peaceful, out-of-the way homes.
Iowa DOT Fairfield Resident Construction Engineer Christy VanBuskirk said the roadwork was extensive, including bridge approach repairs, a culvert replacement, new pavement and paved concrete shoulders.
“The existing pavement consisted of various levels of asphalt placed from 1942 to 1994,” VanBuskirk said in an email. “The condition of the pavement and subgrade had deteriorated to the point that reconstruction was necessary.”
Other enhancements to the road included centerline rumble strips, shoulder rumble strips, and updated guardrail approaches, according to the DOT official.
While access to Lake Darling State Park was always maintained from one side or the other during construction, volunteers and staff said the park still had a busy summer, but logged fewer visitors than normal. Representatives said at least some of that trend likely stemmed from the difficulty of reaching the park.
“A significant amount of traffic that frequents the park comes from that direction” said Park Ranger Zach Haworth. “It was a bit of an inconvenience for park users who had camping or cabin reservations and lodge rentals, and things of that nature … we won’t know until the end of the year how it compares to last year, because fall is actually a very popular camping season.”
In any case, locals said they were relieved to see the roads reopened.
“It is great to be able to get to Lake Darling State Park from both sides,” said a spokesperson for Friends of Lake Darling, a nonprofit that supports and often partners with official projects at the park. “The new cement is good to drive on and the side wings with rumble strips make it a lot safer.”
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
