If you are one of many who dislike driving on Interstate-80, the Iowa Department of Transportation wants to know what you’d do to make it better through an online survey. The department is gearing up for some major updates to I-80 and is collecting opinion data on the interstate's traffic volume, safety, convenience, and quality.
One of the main options being considered is additional lanes.
“I just don’t think there’s enough lanes out there to serve the number of people that are on it,” says DOT transportation engineer Wes Mayberry. “We move a lot of freight across our state and so people see that freight, and the trucks, and I think people tend to get nervous when there is a lot of truck traffic next to them.”
Mayberry estimates more than 30 percent of traffic on Iowa’s interstate system is made up of freight vehicles. The DOT is also considering restricting trucks from using certain lanes, adding toll booths and alternate transportation options, such as rail lines.
These potential updates won’t start for another six-to-seven years, and the entire east-to-west reconstruction of I-80 will take decades.
