DOT snow plans would close I-80

MARENGO — Iowa County Supervisors and the Iowa County Sheriff are concerned about Iowa Department of Transportation plans to close the interstate during bad snowstorms.

Iowa County officials were not initially consulted by the DOT, they said, but they attended a Zoom meeting with state officials last month to ask questions about the state’s plans.

Iowa County Supervisor Jon Degen said during the Jan. 2 Board of Supervisors meeting that the interstate closures won’t happen very often. He also asked about a comment by Iowa County emergency services that implied that the county might also close roads.

The state has erected gates at several exits and entrances on I-80 so it can close the interstate during bad weather. It routinely closes I-35 north of Des Moines during severe snowstorms.

County officials, including Iowa County Sheriff Rob Rotter, say the DOT plans to close the interstate all the way from Des Moines to Coralville. That means anyone traveling east and west during a storm will be rerouted to county roads.

Interstate 80 crosses Iowa County north of Williamsburg.

“If the interstate gets shut down because its snowing so bad, our guys are already home. They’re not plowing anymore either,” said Supervisor Kevin Heitshusen.

“But that’s the point of shutting it down in Des Moines and Coralville though,” said Supervisor Abigail Mass. “So that way people have a place to stay … because we wouldn’t be able to house anybody.”

“As they close it, people will exit the interstate where they’re at,” said Degen. “But once it’s closed, it’ll be closed at certain points” based on where people can find food and lodging.

“That’s why they picked those designated spots to close it,” said Degen.

“People will get on county roads and get stuck,” Heitshusen argued.

“It’s not going to be a big deal,” said Maas, because it will happen infrequently. “We’ll have to figure out how to handle it.”

The State won’t close I-80 for a storm like the one Iowa County saw Jan. 2, said Degen. Snow was light and accumulation totals were low.

The DOT might close the interstate if the state expected an incident like the back-to-back storms of last January, said Degen. Last January, winter storms dumped almost two feet of snow and resulted in many vehicles getting stranded on I-80 in Iowa County.

“Everybody just needs to sit back, take a look and see what happens this year,” said Degen.

“I was just wondering if there was conversations about closing county roads, because I don’t think any of us want to do that,” Degen said.

The county can’t close roads, said Heitshusen, because of farm issues and the necessity to feed animals.

“You got farmers or tractors going to help other farmers out. They’re going to be able to get down the roads,” said Degen.

County Engineer Nick Amelon said Friday that he’s not looking at closing county roads. He said the state needs to warn people in advance that they plan to close the interstate, maybe send out alerts as they do when tornadoes are expected.

“If you’re working in North Liberty [or] Cedar Rapids, and you want to get to Williamsburg, and. they’re going to shut you down in two hours, I think bosses would probably allow you to go home,” said Amelon.

“Because if they shut that down, you’re just not getting home. You’re not even getting into Iowa County.”

There may be problems the first or second time the State closes the interstate, said Amelon, but by the third or fourth time, people will start leaving work early so they don’t get stranded.

“I think it’s going to be a very rare occurrence when they close it,” said Degen.

“That’s why they need to communicate very well,” Amelon said.