UPDATE: Southwest Arterial now open to traffic

ORIGINAL

The new Southwest Arterial in Dubuque is scheduled to open up to the public today.

Barricades blocking the roadway will be removed at 2 p.m. today, said Hugh Holak, resident construction engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Once the barricades are removed, Holak said, the Southwest Arterial will officially be open. He added that Iowa DOT originally intended to open the roadway last week, but the widespread power outages throughout the state caused by severe storms required the opening to be delayed.

"Four years of work is finally coming to fruition," he said. "It will be a major accomplishment to have the new arterial completed."

The four-lane highway will connect U.S. 20 at Seippel Road to U.S. 61/151 near Tamarack Business Park. Construction kicked off in September 2016.

At a length of six miles, the bypass skirts the perimeter of the city and was planned with the intent of reducing truck traffic through Dubuque.

The $160 million project is a joint undertaking of the City of Dubuque, Dubuque County and the Iowa Department of Transportation. 

Transportation officials estimated in April that the new arterial would open by July 4, but then in July, they estimated it would open in early August. In late July, officials said the roadway actually wouldn't open until Tuesday, Sept. 1.