After 25 years in the making, Hiawatha’s Tower Terraces Road Interchange becomes reality

Construction of a new interchange on I-380 for Tower Terrace Road in Hiawatha has been officially approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT). Construction is set to begin in 2022.  This news comes as a relief to many Hiawatha residents, business owners and commuters that experience the backup issues every day off the Boyson Road exit in Hiawatha.

The Tower Terrace Interchange is part of Iowa’s Five-Year Highway Program for fiscal years 2018-2022, which is completed every year to inform the community on improvements to the highway system. IDOT is estimating the project cost to be $15,400,000 in total and to be completed in 2024.

The Interchange Justification Report (IJR) draft will be available in late September 2017 for the City of Hiawatha to review. The IJR will determine the type of interchange, with traffic improvements to the east and west of the bridge. The City of Hiawatha is currently planning on the traditional diamond-shaped interchange, in favor of other designs.

In 2015, the IJR projected the traffic count on Boyson Road to be 23,000 cars per day by the year 2040; however, today we already experience 19,300 cars per day and the area continues to expand. When the Tower Terrace Road Interchange is complete, the projected traffic will be 28,000 cars per day.

During the two-year construction period, Tower Terrace Road will be open to thru-traffic from North Center Point Rd. west to the bridge. Traffic will be rerouted to Miller and Edgewood Road (aka. Loggerhead Road).