Dubuque bridge project pushed back over traffic concerns

The replacement of a Dubuque bridge has been delayed until next year due to concerns over handling the ensuing traffic impacts. The planned $1.9 million replacement of the bridge on South Grandview Avenue that passes over U.S. Highway 61/151 originally scheduled to start in April now will be undertaken in 2024, according to an Iowa Department of Transportation representative. The department had some staging concerns with the project and needs time to do some redesign and research related to handling traffic. By the time that redesign is done, there will not be enough time in the 2023 construction season to finish the bridge. The representative said the Grandview bridge is “functionally obsolete” and needs to be replaced but that there are no immediate safety concerns with pushing the project to next year. Once underway, the project will cause some traffic disruptions because it will require the closure of that stretch of South Grandview, meaning that residents living east of the highway who use South Grandview will have to be detoured.