Friday Facts, July 16, 2010, Vol. 63

Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion part of the Iowa Department of Public Health produces of weekly newsletter about the Iowa WIC Program for the State of Iowa citizen.

U.S. 63 dedication, Chester, Iowa, November 24, 1982

Program from the dedication of U.S. 63 near Chester, Iowa. Includes project description and contractor information.

Toolbox of Countermeasures for Rural Two-Lane Curves [updated], TR-579, October 2013

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that 58 percent of roadway fatalities are lane departures, while 40 percent of fatalities are single-vehicle run-off-road (SVROR) crashes. Addressing lane-departure crashes is therefore a priority for national, state, and local roadway agencies. Horizontal curves are of particular interest because they have been correlated with increased crash occurrence. This toolbox was developed to assist agencies address crashes at rural curves. The main objective of this toolbox is to summarize the effectiveness of various known curve countermeasures. While education, enforcement, and policy countermeasures should also be considered, they were not included given the toolbox focuses on roadway-based countermeasures. Furthermore, the toolbox is geared toward rural two-lane curves. The research team identified countermeasures based on their own research, through a survey of the literature, and through discussions with other professionals. Coverage of curve countermeasures in this toolbox is not necessarily comprehensive. For each countermeasure covered, this toolbox includes the following information: description, application, effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages.

Evaluation of Low-Cost Treatments on Rural Two-Lane Curves, TR-579, 2012

The objective of this project was to evaluate low-cost measures to reduce speeds on high-crash horizontal curves. The researchers evaluated two low-cost treatments in Iowa to determine their effectiveness in reducing speeds on rural two-lane roadways. This report summarizes how the research team selected sites and collected data, and the results. The team selected six sites. Retroreflective post treatments were added to existing chevrons at four sites and on-pavement curve markings were added at two sites. The researchers collected speed data before and after installation of the two treatments. The study compared several speed metrics to assess the effectiveness of the treatments. Overall, both were moderately effective in reducing speeds. The most significant impact of the treatments was in reducing the percentage of vehicles traveling over the posted or advisory speed by 5, 10, 15, or 20 or more mph. This result suggests that the treatments are most effective in reducing high-end speeds.

Water Summary Update, June 9 2016, No. 63

A snapshot of water resource trends prepared by the Iowa DNR in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the U.S. Geological Survey, and The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.

U.S. 63 Corridor Study, 1992

This report describes the U.S. 63 Corridor in terms of its economic and demographic features, the physical characteristics of the existing facility and the traffic it serves. Also, the various improvement alternatives are described and evaluated. These evaluations consider the traffic needs in the time period up to the year 2010, the travel benefits that would derive from alternative improvements to U.S. 63 and the economic development benefits that would be stimulated by such improvements. These benefits are related to the costs of the improvements and various indicators of economic feasibility are provided.