(Spencer)--Crews have shifted traffic on U.S. Highway 71 near U.S. Highway 18 on the north side of Spencer into the right lane for both north- and southbound traffic, closing the left lanes of the four-lane divided highway. This traffic pattern will remain in place from Clay County Road M-44 to Clay County Road B-17 until Thursday, Oct. 22, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 3 Office.
According to the DOT, A 12-foot lane-width restriction is in place in each lane. Crews need to finish the median crossovers before winter halts construction. The next phase of the project will include detour route paving on Fourth Avenue West. This detour route was selected to reduce the impacts of construction to traffic in Spencer and to prevent a long detour route.
Crews will reopen U.S. 71to its normal four-lane pattern, with two lanes of traffic in each direction, during the Clay County Fair timeframe.
Drivers should watch for barrels along the shoulders of the roadway. They protect culvert pipes that will be installed for the median crossover project associated with the roundabout construction scheduled for 2027 at the U.S. 71/U.S. 18 north junction, known locally as the “North Y”.
