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WHAT’S AHEAD. THIS BRIDGE BEHIND ME IS THE FIRST DOMINO TO FALL IN EFFORTS TO MAKE THE DRIVE BETWEEN ANKENY AND AMES LESS CONGESTED. REPLACING THE BRIDGE AT THE ELKHART EXIT WILL START THE PROCESS OF WIDENING INTERSTATE 35 5 TO 3 LANES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THAT MYSELF FOR PROBABLY THE LAST 1015 YEARS. CHRIS HATFIELD HAS BEEN DRIVING THIS STRETCH BETWEEN ANKENY AND AMES FOR YEARS. HE WELCOMES THE ROMANS STRUCTION THAT COULD EVENTUALLY BRING HIM SOME RELIEF. HAVING THREE LANES OBVIOUSLY IS LESS CONGESTED. YOU GOT MORE AREA TO AVOID. YOU KNOW SOMEBODY WHO HITS A SLICK SPOT OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. AND WHEN THEY DO HAVE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THERE’S TWO LANES VERY DOWN TO ONE LANE THAT REALLY BACKS THINGS UP. SO THE EXTRA LANE WOULD HELP WITH THE FLOW. THE IOWA DOT SAYS THIS PHASE OF THE WIDENING PROCESS WILL STRETCH FROM ANKENY TO JUST NORTH OF HUDSON. IT’LL TAKE 3 TO 4 YEARS AND COST $150 MILLION. THE D.O.T. SAYS THIS WILL CUT DOWN ON ROAD MAINTENANCE AND MAKE ROOM FOR MORE DRIVERS AS CENTRAL IOWA GROWS. LOUIS GALLOWAY DRIVES THIS STRETCH AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. HE SAYS ANOTHER LANE ADDS AN EXTRA LEVEL OF SAFETY. I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT AS ESPECIALLY DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, YOU KNOW, DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. THIS IS REALLY ICY WHEN IT’S DOWN TO ONE LANE. IT’S TREACHEROUS, DANGEROUS. SO I THINK THREE LANES ON EITHER SIDE WOULD REALLY ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT. AS FOR WHEN THE ENTIRE AMES TO THE MOINES STRETCH WILL BE SIX LANES, THE DOT DOES NOT HAVE AN END DATE JUST YET. IN ANKENY MARC