A major construction project this week along Interstate 35 in south-central Iowa is sending motorists on a detour. Sam Sommers, with the Iowa Department of Transportation, says both the north and southbound lanes are being closed between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the removal of a bridge over I-35 in Warren County.

“This is just one piece of a pretty big puzzle there for continued project work,” Sommers says. Interstate-35 is being widened to six lanes from the I-80 interchange in Des Moines, south into Warren County. The overnight detour this week adds roughly 10 miles to a motorists’ journey through the area.

The detour involves a trip through the town of Norwalk. Sommers says the work should be completed by Saturday morning. The section of I-35 is heavily traveled.

“We’re over 20,000 vehicles per day on that particular stretch,” Sommers says. More information about the I-35 project and all construction projects in the state can be found online at:  www.511ia.org