Construction will slow traffic east of Charles City on U.S. 18

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Weekday travelers between Charles City and New Hampton can expect delays on their journey for at least the rest of this week as state construction crews work.

U.S. Highway 18 east of Charles City is reduced to one lane during the daytime now through at least Friday, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Construction will be underway from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pete Hjelmstad, a district coordinator with the Iowa DOT, said the department hopes work will be finished this week, but it could stretch into next week depending on weather and other developments.

The crews are microsurfacing the road, he said. They grind off a shallow layer of the asphalt then apply a treatment that creates a new road surface.

“I compare it to waxing a car,” Hjelmstad said. The treatment adds life to the road, preventing or delaying more costly repairs later.

The road will be restricted to one lane with pilot cars and flaggers during the weekdays when work is actually taking place, he said. Both lanes will be open overnight and on the weekend if the work isn’t finished by Friday.

The DOT lists the construction area as between County Road T66 near Charles City and County Road V14 near Bassett.