Modernising a Major Interstate System

Better Safety, Efficiency and Mobility on the Council Bluffs Interstate System

The $1.4 billion Council Bluffs Interstate System program reconstructed the interchange of three busy interstates in southwest Iowa, improving safety and efficiency while reducing congestion for thousands of daily travellers. 

The largest program in Iowa history for much of its tenure, it was completed using a program management approach that packaged projects into an efficient construction plan that reduced risk and supported reliable traffic management. The streamlined construction plan cut the construction schedule nearly in half and reduced impacts to travellers. 

Altogether, the program included upgrades to 47 bridges, 12 interchanges, 14 centreline miles of interstate and the addition of the region’s first dual, divided freeway. HDR served as the program manager and general engineering consultant for Iowa Department of Transportation since 2013 but was involved in the planning and study of the program for years earlier. 

As it nears completion, a ribbon cutting was held in June 2024 to celebrate its success. Watch the video above to see how this complex endeavour is leaving an impact on other major projects in the region as well as in Council Bluffs. 

“The interstate is really a front door of people coming to your community as they come in from areas outside the city or just traverse around the city,” said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh. “It really has made an amazing difference in how easy it is to travel around town and through town to get to Omaha.”