Progress continues on the Highway 75 construction project in Sioux Center. The medians are gaining character and color in Phase 1 (between 20th St. S near Pizza Hut and 13th St. S near Sioux Center Dental). The MLS landscaping crew has been pouring colored concrete, preparing soils, adding irrigation, and planting trees and plants, and the turf company has installed artificial turf sections.
The landscaping is designed to promote safety – calming traffic and reducing the amount of time people and equipment will have to spend working in the medians in traffic. It is also designed to showcase Sioux Center’s character – a welcome mat to the thousands of travelers that daily come into town this way. The colorful “splash guards” along the sides of the medians are functional – to reduce the amount of salt, sand, and debris in the median soil.
New section of mainline paving complete
Godbersen-Smith’s paving crew poured the northbound and southbound lanes between 12th St. S and about 8th St. S.
Vander Pol Excavating’s push to complete underground & utility work at 9th St. S paved the way (pardon the pun) for Godbersen-Smith to lay down two long ribbons of concrete from 12th St. S to nearly 8th St. S. this past week.
With the mainline paving done in this stretch, crews will begin to pave connections to side streets and other remaining spaces.
From underground to electric to paving, all of the crews have understood keeping the 9th St. S closure to a minimum is a priority because that intersection is heavily used by daily traffic and agricultural traffic with harvest beginning. The current plan for that intersection is to complete the pavement connections, then potentially open it to east-west traffic first.
Underground crews move north
Vander Pol Excavating crew completed most of the underground and prep work up to 7th St. S. and is replacing water mains between 6th and 5th St. S.
Water, sewer, and storm sewer mains and connections are nearly all finished up to 7th St. S, and crews are shifting north to continue underground work. The Highway 75 closure moved to just south of 4th St. S, and crews are currently working to install water main between 6th and 5th St. S.
What’s been done in September:
Colored concrete paving and seeding between 20th and 13th St. S.
Plant and tree plantings in medians between 20th and 13th St. S.
Mainline paving between 12th and about 8th St. S.
Electrical street light and stoplight work.
Storm sewer and sewer main install between 9th and 6th St. S.
What’s ahead:
Paving connections and turn lanes between 12th and near 8th St. S
Driveway connections and sidewalks from 12th to 9th St. S.
Installing new parallel water mains up to 5th St. S.
Pavement removal for other underground/utility work to 5th St. S.
Mainline paving from near 8th St. S heading north.
Median work north of 13th St. S.
Construction Update Meeting Oct. 9
The next monthly construction public update meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. at the Sioux Center Public Library’s meeting room. City staff and engineers will share a project update, and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions.
These meetings are the second Wednesday each month at 11 a.m. at the library throughout the construction season.
