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CHEROKEE, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — Following last year’s historic flooding across Siouxland, the Iowa Department of Transportation reopened a heavily traveled bridge.
Local officials, along with several construction companies, gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the reopening of the Iowa Highway 3 bridge over the Little Sioux River in Cherokee. The project finished a year early.
In response to the catastrophic impacts the flooding had on the traveling public. That includes bridge replacement, the addition of an overflow structure, and enhancements to the surrounding roadway infrastructure.
“We’re so proud of this project, it’s something that we call resiliency,” said the Director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, Scott Marler. “Meaning that, this is going to be a lifeline in and out of this community, for many years to come, no matter what Mother Nature throws at us. So, we think it’s a step definitely in the right direction.”
The total cost of the project was ten million, and it was completed under budget.