Dynamic message signs along Highway 76 South part of public alert system

by Kelli Boylen
Freelance writer

There has been much speculation during the last few months of what exactly the large electronic highway signs installed along Highway 76 in Allamakee County were for and what they would do.
The two signs, measuring eight feet, two inches high and 14 feet, seven inches wide weigh in at 1,500 pounds each. One sign is located near Rossville (X26), and the other is near the turn-off to Harpers Ferry (X42), and both are facing east.
According to Dena Gray-Fisher, director, Office of Multimedia Services of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), the two large signs on Highway 76 are actually part of a set of six dynamic message signs (DMS) installed as part of a warning/information system along Iowa 76 and U.S. Highway 18 in Allamakee and Clayton Counties. The signs are meant to alert travelers about potential rock slides, and road closures due to rock slides, maintenance or construction activities or snow-blocked roads.
The signs are in place to allow travelers to take alternative routes. The signs may also be activated as part of the AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert system for missing and/or abducted children.
Gray-Fisher says Iowa 76 is adjacent to overhanging cliffs where falling rock and debris slides occur during the spring thaw period and whenever heavy rain events occur. During these periods, Iowa DOT maintenance personnel make daily trips along the bluffs to remove rock or other fallen debris from the roadway.
The six area signs have been installed at the following locations:
• Southbound Iowa 76, south of the intersection with Allamakee County Road X-26 near Rossville.
• Southbound Iowa 76, south of the intersection with Allamakee County Road X-52, south of Waukon Junction.
• Southbound Iowa 76, in advance of the intersection with the U.S. 18 ramp in Marquette.
• Eastbound U.S. 18 in advance of the Iowa 76 intersection in Marquette.
• Northbound Iowa 76 in McGregor.
• Northbound Iowa 76, in advance of the intersection with the U.S. 18 ramp in Marquette.
Gray-Fisher says there are many DMS locations throughout Iowa where there is a specific need. The Iowa DOT says the plan for statewide location of DMS has been developed to provide information to the traveling public. The system is being designed for both “traffic management (primarily congestion mitigation) and for public safety (emergency operations, homeland security, AMBER alert, weather emergencies, etc.).”
The DMS communications and messages can be coordinated with other states and with local governments and agencies, so in actual practice it will be more than a statewide system.
According to the U.S. DOT, intelligent transportation systems represent the next step in the evolution of the nation’s transportation system. U.S. DOT officials say integrating ITS technology will enable traffic to be more efficient and safe.
The DMS signs throughout Iowa are activated by the Iowa DOT’s 24/7 Operations Support Center in Ames, when conditions warrant, at the request of local law enforcement or DOT personnel. The total cost for the system of six DMS signs in northeast Iowa was $308,038.