(Arnolds Park)– We’ve reached the half way mark of the Highway 71 project through the lakes corridor. That word from Dakin Schultz of the Iowa Department of Transportation. He outlined what the work will consist of for this part of the project at an informational meeting Thursday evening. The work gets underway Monday, weather permitting. It will involve construction on the western half of the intersection at Broadway Street in Arnolds Park and on the northbound lane from Broadway north to Ackley Street. In Okoboji the work will be taking place from north of Sanborn Avenue to Stakeout Road.
Through traffic will once again be detoured on Highways 86 and 9. A detour for northbound local traffic in Arnolds Park will take Broadway to Iowa Street to Ackley Street. In Okoboji, traffic on Stakeout Road destined for northbound Highway 71 will be detoured onto Exchange Street. Having said that, Schultz says as was the case in previous phases, access will still be maintained for businesses…
Schultz says the general contractor, Cedar Valley Corporation, will have a jumpstart compared to a year ago thanks to the abnormally warm weather…
Schultz also addressed concerns about the transition in lanes just north of Emerald Hills Golf Course. He says talks are underway with the cities of Arnolds Park and West Okoboji about shifting that further south, toward 202nd Street…
Schultz also addressed issues with the new stoplights at the intersection of Highway 71 and Lake Street. He says there’s been an issue with equipment and software and that a temporary work-around is in place until a more permanent fix can be made.
This particular phase of the Highway 71 project is scheduled for completion May 24th.