Cherokee, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) —  Drivers are celebrating the new Iowa Highway 3 bridge over the Little Sioux River. At a ribbon cutting ceremony this Tuesday, October 21 at the DOT District 3 office in Cherokee. Officials didn’t just celebrate a construction project; they celebrated the end of a crisis. For Cherokee County EMS Director Mark Pritz, the loss of the bridge wasn’t just an inconvenience.

“It was a nightmare scenario that cut the county in half. And uh, you know, one of the things that we talked about is how Highway 59 and Highway 3 both being a major transportation corridor through Northwest Iowa. Uh, and you take both of those bridges out during the flood and everything stops. I mean, commerce stops, uh, life stops. So, this was an absolutely an instrumental day for us to to be able to keep these roadways open.”

In response, a massive collaborative effort was launched. The Iowa Transportation Commission fast tracked the project, which was already slated for an update after a flood in 2018. State legislators, federal representatives, county supervisors, the DOT’s own Cherokee-based District 3 office, and contractor Dixon Construction all worked together to speed up the process. And the result, as DOT Director Scott Marler announced today, was a success on all fronts. The nearly $10 million project was finished a full year ahead of schedule and came in under budget. Marler said the accomplishment belongs to everyone who pitched in, and he praised the community for its resilience.

“Folks, thank you for your patience with us. Thank you for your grit. Thank you for your resiliency. You’ve shown us what it’s like when Mother Nature knocks us down. You’ve shown us what it’s like to get back up. So, thank you so much, community of Cherokee.”

So, if you have to travel on Highway 3, the bypass around Cherokee over the Little Sioux River is open now. .