Good weather extends construction season

Fall isn’t just for harvest time anymore in the Hawkeye State. Tractors and combines are generally the big machinery you see toiling across the state in the autumn months. Dump trucks, backhoes and bulldozers have become more common though late in the year with Iowa’s unseasonably warm weather. Jerry Dickinson of the Iowa Department of Transportation says this year will likely not be much different, as they have several projects that will soon be getting underway.Dickinson says Thanksgiving used to be the unofficial signal to the end of construction season, but warm temperatures in recent years have blurred that line. The fall construction means continued work zones where Dickinson says drivers must remain alert.He says drivers need to concentrate on driving and eliminate distractions like eating or talking on cell phones. He says efforts to make work zones safer have worked thus far. He says there’ve only been two workzone fatalities thus far, but says that can change quickly if drivers lose the focus on safety. Dickinson says it’s been a good construction season thus far and they’ve been able to complete most projects on schedule.