Work continues along State Highway 26

Skyline Construction Company of Decorah, working with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), is about a quarter of the way finished with a project just north of Lansing on Highway 26. The goal of the project is to cut away the rock outcroppings and brush that are too close to the west edge of the highway. John Shimek, Highway Technician Senior of  the DOT District 2 office in New Hampton, said the workers use ammonium nitrate with blasting caps (not dynamite) to "loosen" the rock so it can be hauled away. Vibrations from the blasting are being monitored at the ice house and root cellar on North Front Street in Lansing (both are eligible to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places) to prevent undue underground disturbances. The mounds of sand pictured through the middle of the photo at right are used to cover the cement barricades along the edge of the road so that the heavy equipment can navigate from one place to another. Shimek predicts the short section of Highway 26 involved in the project will be closed until late October, requiring the detour utilizing North Front Street to remain in place. Photo and report by B.J. Tomlinson.