2011 Road Construction and Detour Thread

[Robert S. Thompson]

Hi, I am preparing for my 2011 storm chasing trip to the Great Plains. In past years the road construction thread has been a great help. If you know of major construction projects or detours, could you list them here? Those "pilot car" projects can be particularly disruptive. Thanks.

 

[Steve Polley]

3rd party info but K-96 west of Great Bend, KS has construction delays there.

 

[Richard Dickson]

As of 5/11/11, there are four significant construction zones on I-35 between Denton, Texas and Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. The one that covers about seven miles north and south of Marietta, Oklahoma seemed to be the one where traffic piled up the longest while working its way to a single lane each way. "Patience" is both a virtue and a requirement in these situations.

 

[David Wolfson]

2011-05-17 CONSTRUCTION DELAY: CO, US 287/40, se of Hugo

24/7 single-lane pilot car delay approx. 1/2 hour due to roadway reconstruction, looks to last several more weeks. CO 71, CO 94 alternative through Punkin Center is a lightly traveled alternative with only slightly longer travel time.

 

[Robert S. Thompson]

Sheesh, we had problems there last year too. Anyone know if they are working on US 385 in eastern CO again?

 

[Eian Greene]

I have a couple updates to Colorado's projects...
1. US 24 just east of Limon is closed for bridge replacement. Completion date: August 2011. Traffic must use I 70 to detour. Local traffic permitted between exits 361 and 363 on US 24 only.

2. US40-287 Project ongoing thru July in Hugo area, Recommended detour was already mentioned earlier in this thread. CO-71 provides amazing views of storms around Punkin Center.
3. No word in US 385, though it wouldn't surprise me if there was more work goin on out there... check www.coloradodot.info for updates.

 

[Nick Hartley]

For those who may be coming to South Dakota to chase tomorrow, I have some road updates for you. Spring flooding has been pretty bad around here and it is recommended to try and avoid the county roads in most of northeastern South Dakota, especially in the Beadle, Kingsbury and Hamlin county areas. Also between Madison and Watertown, US81 has water over the road in several locations and travel is not advised on there. Looking for any other details let me know. Best of luck tomorrow

 

[Andy Jackson]

For those who may be coming to South Dakota to chase tomorrow, I have some road updates for you. Spring flooding has been pretty bad around here and it is recommended to try and avoid the county roads in most of northeastern South Dakota, especially in the Beadle, Kingsbury and Hamlin county areas. Also between Madison and Watertown, US81 has water over the road in several locations and travel is not advised on there. Looking for any other details let me know. Best of luck tomorrow

Here's a SD DOT map of the current conditions:
South Dakota Road Conditions

Also remember some roads that exist on mapping software may or may not be usable in real life.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

Thank you Nick! Any more first hand accounts of road conditions in SD (or in the target area) is greatly appreciated!!! Let's hope we get a repeat of Bowdle (over open fields), but with no one stuck in farm fields.

Current discussion of CF:
http://www.chasersforum.com/showthread.php?671-SD-Roads

 

[Robert Edmonds]

20 East of Laurel, NE is closed. Detour takes 15 to circumvent closure.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

Also Mike H. status indicates:
"Anyone hitting the road closed at Humphrey NE on 91 it's just one bridge just w of town. Take the 1 mile grid south of 91 west till 1 mile west of Humphrey, then 1 mile back north to 91 and you are around it. Or take their much longer marked route lol. Unless things have changed since I was last there, not long ago. Shouldn't be an issue till maybe pretty late anyway."

 

[George Grant]

My wife and I are already up here at my Mother-in-Law's place in Chester. If you end up around any of the lakes, sloughs, or marshes here, I'd keep a close eye on the section roads. We went up to Madison for lunch and I've already seen two gravel roads around Brant Lake and Lake Madison with water across them. There's quite a bit of water in this entire area.

Thank you Nick! Any more first hand accounts of road conditions in SD (or in the target area) is greatly appreciated!!! Let's hope we get a repeat of Bowdle (over open fields), but with no one stuck in farm fields.

Current discussion of CF:
http://www.chasersforum.com/showthread.php?671-SD-Roads

 

[Chris Foltz]

Shouldn't cause huge headaches but I-70 from a few miles west of Goodland (mm 12 to be exact...) to the CO state line will be undergoing reconstruction starting today. There won't be full lane closures until next year but several bridges will be down to one lane this summer as the guard rails are replaced. Construction will be ongoing from April to October each year with an expected completion date of October 31, 2013. Then again, we have to get decent storms out on the High Plains for this to be of relevance to anyone. LOL...

 

[Zach Young]

The best source of info for Colorado is the http://www.cotrip.org website. It will provide you with up to the minute information about road construction, as well as unforseen road or lane closures (highway closed due to accidents, emergency repairs, weather related closures, etc.)

 

[BrandonLBrown]

I-29 near Council Bluffs, IA is being closed due to flooding of the Missouri River. http://www.ketv.com/missouri-river-flooding-extended-coverage/28180639/detail.html