The Iowa Department of Transportation is taking action in hopes of reducing the number of accidents on a dangerous stretch of highway in central Iowa. The speed limit is being reduced from 65 to 60 miles-an-hour along a 1.5 mile section of U.S. Highway 65 and Iowa Highway 330 in Jasper County.
Iowa D.O.T. spokesperson Scott Dockstader says the road’s intersection Iowa Highway 117 has a history of severe, fatal accidents.
“We’ve been analyzing it for a while and we’ve done numerous signing changes and modifications. Speed limit is just one of the tools we’re using at the intersection,” Dockstader said.
The high accident rate is blamed, in part, on a high traffic count. “It’s a four-lane state roadway with another high volume, two-lane state roadway. There’s just a lot of traffic movements, which is difficult for folks to get through,” Dockstader said.
The change will take effect Thursday as D.O.T. workers will be installing the new 60 miles-an-hour speed limit signs.
By Randy Van, KCOB, Newton