A long-awaited resurfacing project on Libertyville Road in Jefferson County is scheduled to begin the week of April 6th, according to a construction timeline submitted by Norris Asphalt Paving Company LLC to Jefferson County Engineer DeWayne Heintz.
The project is expected to run through approximately June 19th, with contractors allotted 65 working days within a three-month construction window.
“Please remember, all schedules are good for at least fifteen minutes,” Heintz said. “Things will change as Mother Nature and other events beyond our control occur.”
The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors previously awarded the nearly $4.88 million contract to Norris Asphalt Paving Company LLC of Ottumwa back in January.
Heintz has described Libertyville Road as having the worst pavement conditions in the county system, citing a deteriorating concrete overlay and failing base.
The project will include several upgrades aimed at improving safety and durability, including the installation of subdrains, widening the shoulders to provide four-foot paved shoulders on both sides of the roadway, and adding centerline and shoulder rumble strips. Crews will also apply six-inch pavement striping to enhance visibility.
In addition, a stone interlayer will be placed before crews install 3.25 inches of asphalt, a thickness that remains below the four-inch federal threshold that would trigger additional slope and shoulder requirements.
Heintz said the most time-consuming parts of the project will be shoulder strengthening and drainage work. Once those phases are complete, the remaining paving work should move more quickly, although crews cannot complete multiple phases at the same time.
Funding for the project comes from several sources, including $500,000 through an Iowa Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Improvement Program allocation, $2.5 million secured through the office of U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, approximately $1.4 million in federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds, and about $400,000 from farm-to-market funds.
During construction, Libertyville Road will remain open for local access but will be closed to through traffic. Flaggers and pilot cars will guide vehicles through active work zones, allowing residents along the route to access their homes while the roadway is reduced to one lane in construction areas.
Officials say motorists traveling between Fairfield and Libertyville should expect to follow posted detours during the project. The primary detour route will direct most drivers north of Libertyville along Hemlock Avenue to Old Highway 34 before heading east into Fairfield. Because a bridge along Hemlock Avenue has a 40-ton weight limit, grain trucks and other heavy vehicles will be routed along a separate detour using Indigo Boulevard and 250th Street before reconnecting with Highway 1.
Access to Jefferson County Park will remain available throughout the construction period.
“There will be no hard closure, but it’s safer to minimize as much traffic as possible,” Heintz said, encouraging motorists to use detour routes when available.
Photo by A.J. Roe.
