Lee County sheriff cautions drivers through road work zones

MONTROSE, Iowa (WGEM) - For about a month now, 255th street off of Iowa 27 has been under construction.

As road work continues, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is asking drivers to exercise extreme caution when travelling.

The construction project on 255th Street runs from Iowa 27 east all the way to U.S. 61.

Traffic is reduced to one lane with flaggers directing traffic.

With uneven lanes and rumble strips placed throughout the site, Lee County Sheriff Stacy Webber is warning drivers to be careful, especially in the areas where you usually go 55 miles per hour.

“When I drove over it myself going home for lunch, I was like we better warn people,” Weber said. “Because people that go to work in the area if they don’t realize it’s that bad, they’ll travel at normal speeds, not into the construction area yet, and then when they hit that, there’s probably a four- or five-inch bump.”

Weber said drivers should think about construction crew workers on the road.

He thinks the workers should be reason enough to slow down when driving through road work.

“The equipment that these guys are using, they’re right on the edge and they sometimes have to walk right along with it, and I mean they pass within inches of your car when they go by them,” said Weber. “And I just ask that people, you know, these are somebody’s brother, somebody’s dad and somebody’s sister, just slow down.”

Weber said that not only will the road repairs help daily drivers, it’ll also help response times for the Lee County sheriffs and other emergency medical services.

Weber said that the construction crew is moving quickly and efficiently.

He anticipates the work will be completed within the next four weeks.

Weber said if you’re caught speeding in a construction zone in Lee County, it’s an automatic loss of your license.

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