(KIWA Staff Photo)Sioux Center, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — Sioux Center officials hope to reopen the Seventh Street crossing over Highway 75 by the end of this week, while the return of concrete crews could move the final year of reconstruction closer to a mid-to-late fall traffic reopening.
City Manager Scott Wynja says progress remains steady, though recent rain has slowed work in areas where the roadbed is not yet stabilized.
Seventh Street Could Reopen This Week
The most immediate change could come at Seventh Street, a major east-west route serving Dordt University, area schools, and the All Seasons Center. Crews must finish sidewalk work and prepare the traffic signals to operate as flashing red lights.
Underground work has also reached a milestone.
Crews are placing rock subbase beneath future pavement and restoring temporary access near Ninth Street and Econo Lodge. Wynja says another temporary access could potentially be established near 11th Street for Member’s Cut, Scooter’s, NAPA, and nearby businesses.
Attention is now shifting toward paving.
Traffic Reopening Targeted for Fall
Wynja says mid-to-late fall remains the target for restoring Highway 75 traffic, though weather will determine the final schedule.
Asked whether traffic should be restored by Thanksgiving, Wynja said that remains reasonable.
Reopening the highway will not mean all work is finished. Backfill, sidewalks, medians, streetlight bases, poles, and electrical conduit will still require attention. Some median work can be completed under single-lane closures after traffic returns.
The current construction marks the fourth and final year of Sioux Center’s roughly 2.5-mile Highway 75 reconstruction. The 2026 phase extends from Fifth Street North to about 12th Street North, just south of McDonald’s.
DOT-Led Project Planned Farther North
After a construction break in 2027, a separate Iowa DOT-led project is scheduled to begin north of Sioux Center in 2028.
The Iowa Transportation Commission approved the six-mile project in June as part of its five-year program. It will run from 12th Street Northeast to just south of the U.S. Highway 18 junction and include full pavement replacement, intersection improvements, additional turn lanes, a pedestrian path, and other safety upgrades.
Wynja says the city understands that work from the current project endpoint to the Carmel intersection would occur in 2028, followed by construction from Carmel to Perkins Corner in 2029.
Unlike the current phase, the DOT will lead development and management of the project. The city’s role will focus on assisting residents and businesses during construction.
DGR Engineering is expected to provide a more detailed update during the Sioux Center City Council meeting on Monday, August 24th.
