Background
US 18/218/IA 27 corridor traffic volumes in Floyd County have more than doubled since 2000. Extremely high truck volumes in combination with an at-grade crossing contributed to poor traffic operations at the intersection with County Road T44. To improve traffic operations, the Iowa DOT sought to construct an interchange at this intersection. Foth was tasked with providing preliminary bridge and preliminary and final roadway design services, including survey, roadway, hydraulic analysis, traffic modeling, and utility coordination.
Approach
The improvements reconstructed two miles of US 18, grade separating the intersection to carry US 18 traffic over the existing intersection of County Road T44 and US 218 to the north. Additionally, changes to the existing access control priority level reduced the number of at-grade intersections along the corridor. Our team designed a network of frontage roads to maintain access to existing residences, businesses, and farm fields. We also completed staging and traffic control design with temporary traffic signals to maintain traffic during construction. Traffic modeling and operational analysis were completed to determine optimal staging and traffic control configurations during construction.
In addition to design tasks, our team utilized Bentley OpenRoads Connect software to complete a 3D model incorporated with the existing ground 3D mesh using data captured via sUAS and mobile LiDAR. Our 3D models and displays were used at a public information meeting along with a virtual reality model to communicate project impacts and visualize the area post-construction. These 3D visualizations were also being used to communicate right-of-way impacts and provide an accurate representation of the improvements to property owners.
Markets: Departments of Transportation
Services: Transportation Services
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