Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

I-680 ready for traffic today(this is what happens when Government gets out the way)
The Omaha World-Herald ^ | November 2, 2011 | By Andrew J. Nelson

Posted on 11/02/2011 8:05:36 AM PDT by US Navy Vet

The time is almost here: Interstate 680 between Interstate 29 and the Missouri River is scheduled to reopen at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The roughly three-mile stretch was reduced to rubble this summer by the power of Missouri River floodwaters.

Thanks to agreeable weather and 14-hour workdays, contractors beat deadlines for completing the project, which began in late September.

A reopening ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Crescent, Iowa, fire station, at 102 W. Florence St. Those expected to attend include Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Federal Highway Administration Administrator Victor M. Mendez and Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle.

Iowa companies Peterson Contractors of Reinbeck and Reilly Construction of Ossian had until Dec. 23 to get the freeway open to at least one lane in each direction. I-680 will open Wednesday with two lanes in both directions, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation

(Excerpt) Read more at omaha.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Iowa; US: Nebraska
KEYWORDS: iowa; nebraska
:-)!
1 posted on 11/02/2011 8:05:40 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet

be still my heart!


2 posted on 11/02/2011 8:06:36 AM PDT by RitchieAprile
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet
They have been working on I-70 going to Topeka FOR OVER THREE YEARS!!!!!! I could make it there in 45 if I didn't have to dodge all that construction its Maddening.

Isn't it weird that Private Companies gets it done faster, better, and cheaper than than K-Dot or M-Dot or all those other Hiked Government Toll Roads!?

3 posted on 11/02/2011 8:21:03 AM PDT by KC_Lion (I will NEVER vote for Romney! The GOP will go the way of the Whigs if they nominate him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet
“had until Dec. 23 to get the freeway open to at least one lane in each direction. I-680 will open Wednesday with two lanes in both directions”

One shudders to think of all the useless studies; payoffs to special interests, etc; THAT WERE NOT DONE to get this done quickly.

The normal things are normally done which probably double an triple the cost and timeframes.

4 posted on 11/02/2011 8:21:48 AM PDT by HereInTheHeartland (I love how the FR spellchecker doesn't recognize the word "Obama")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet

Not familiar with this. Are they putting up toll booths?


5 posted on 11/02/2011 8:26:35 AM PDT by wolfman23601
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet
Was the labor unionized? Did the bosses get a cut?

When I was a kid, we had a key county road wash out in our area. The local farmers couldn't wait for the wheels of bureaucracy to reopen it.

Our local representative (a farmer himself) organized the locals to show up the very next Saturday with their tractors and got the section of the road rebuilt in one afternoon. The wives and smaller kids brought tables, chairs and food so they could keep working. The bigger kids assisted with buckets, picks and shovels.

About three months later, the state got around to inspecting the work, proclaimed it a job well done and paved it over to finish it. And the happy and unexpected ending: every farmer who showed up to work that day had signed in and got about $200 off the next property tax bill.

6 posted on 11/02/2011 8:31:45 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet

We took 29 south to St Jo last weekend, and it was in good shape, only a couple areas where it was 2 lanes instead of 4, one of which was Hamburg, which was anticipated.

I really think one of the KEY reasons they could do these repairs so quickly is that the roads were completely closed while the work was being done, so they didn’t have to do that one-lane-at-a-time with crossovers and all. Probably made a big difference.


7 posted on 11/02/2011 8:32:29 AM PDT by NEMDF
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NEMDF

That and the approximately 2 million dollar bonus they get for completing early.

When people have (financial) motivation, they work hard.


8 posted on 11/02/2011 8:35:26 AM PDT by Mountain Dewd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: NEMDF
Mid July, we drove south on I-29 headed toward overnighting in St. Joseph - we were misled about the detour; it took us an extra 200 miles and four hours of meandering around rural Iowa, thanks to Iowa's DOT goofy detour signage.

We finally hooked up with two "Follow us and ignore the 'road closed ahead'" salesmen who got us on the right track.

That all said - the flood devastation around I-29 was astounding.

9 posted on 11/02/2011 8:55:57 AM PDT by ErnBatavia (Obama Voters: Jose Baez wants YOU for his next jury pool.......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: US Navy Vet

Just to remember … this is what they started with.

10 posted on 11/02/2011 9:02:14 AM PDT by Campion ("Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies when they become fashions." -- GKC)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ErnBatavia

Yes, the flood damage was a sight to be seen. Sorry about the road signs... we had people coming here in early July, they were going to come on I-80 then the 680 North loop to come into Omaha for Fort St. There were no signs at the exit to 680 from westbound I-80 in Iowa; the people came 20 miles before finding a sign saying they had to turn around and go back to I-80 into Omaha due to the roads and bridge being closed.


11 posted on 11/02/2011 10:16:52 AM PDT by NEMDF
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Vigilanteman
And the happy and unexpected ending: every farmer who showed up to work that day had signed in and got about $200 off the next property tax bill.

They were lucky they weren't penalized $200. Evidently good people were in charge then.

A old (2000) event. Long but revealing read Shovel Brigade takes on 'roadless' policy.

12 posted on 11/02/2011 10:58:43 AM PDT by Oatka ("A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." –Bertrand de Jouvenel)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson