(Okoboji)– The Okoboji City Council was updated Tuesday regarding the planned reconstruction of Highway 71 through that community. As we reported previously, the Iowa Department of Transportation plans to re-bid the project this fall. City Administrator Michael Meyers explains what that means for the city of Okoboji…
“We would expect construction to start in the spring of 2023 and then move into the fall of ’23; spring of ’24; fall of ’24; and then theoretically some cleanup in the spring of ’25 as well. Again it’s important to note that this is between Labor Day and Memorial Day so all off season is work is still proposed and I think perhaps the most important thing and sort of the elephant in the room is talking about the causeway. And the causeway is scheduled at least as of right now for the fall of 2024. I’m sorry. Fall of 2023, and that would be a full closure of the causeway for four weeks and that’s two weeks after Labor Day that that would take place. So that would be sort of the pain point but I think that’s what we all sort of prefer, just get it done.”
Meyers says two-way traffic will be maintained throughout the city using flaggers or temporary signals, with the exception of a stretch between Sanborn Avenue and Gordon Drive, where a closure will be in effect while work is going on in that area.
