Traffic is returning to Highway 75 through Sioux Center for the winter after a full construction season. Monday, the section from 9th Street South to 5th Street South re-opened to through traffic, on the inside lanes. This marks roughly the midway point of construction from 20th St. S (near Pizza Hut) to 12th St. N (near McDonalds), a project to rebuild Highway 75 based on safety, function, and showcasing Sioux Center’s character.
“We truly appreciate the progress crews made this year and especially want to thank the community for their patience in enduring this season of construction,” said Assistant Utilities Manager Adam Fedders.
This year, contractors substantially completed the 2/3-mile Phase 1 section between 20th St. S and 13th St. S (near Sioux Center Dental), with paving, landscaped medians, streetlights and trail connections.
For Phase 2, contractors removed the old pavement, installed new water, sewer, and storm sewer mains and connections, and laid new concrete from 13th St. S to 5th St. S (north of Kroese & Kroese). They also paved new sidewalks, installed traffic signals, replaced driveways, and worked on medians. Streetlights and pedestrian crossing signal work continues in this 2/3-mile section, and some sidewalk paving and other work there will be completed in the spring of 2025.
“This is a complex project, and progress takes time,” said Utilities Manager Murray Hulstein. “Along with repaving the highway, we’re making the long-term investment of underground utility replacements to set Sioux Center up well for the future.”
Construction will begin again in spring 2025 from 5th St. S to around Central Park, a little more than half a mile, including downtown Sioux Center. In 2026, contractors plan to work on the 2/3-mile from the Central Park area to 12th St. N, near McDonalds. In total, this is a 4-year, 2.5-mile project, a partnership between the Iowa Department of Transportation and the City of Sioux Center. The Iowa DOT is planning an additional Highway 75 improvement project in 2027-28 from 12th St. N to Highway 18 near Hull. Sioux Center is participating in the section between 12th St. N (McDonalds) and 20th St. N (near Pella Corp.), which will be similar to the rest of Highway 75 in Sioux Center, with two lanes of travel in each direction, turn lanes, landscaped medians, and a pedestrian trail on the east side.
