Wet conditions in western Iowa have been causing problems for the expansion of Interstate 29 near Sioux City. D-O-T engineer Dean Herbst says they were digging along the Big Sioux River to put in a retaining wall for the new southbound lane of I-29, but the river rose above the retaining wall and washed away material.
Herbst says they are putting in a “wing dike” to divert the river away from the area, and will “de-water” the area and then will continue with the construction of the wall. Herbst says the flooding is a minor delay in the overall project.
Herbst says the problem is not impacting traffic and they are still on schedule to do the paving and move the project forward.
It’s not known how much extra time and money was lost by the wash out.
By Josie Cooper, KSCJ, Sioux City