During the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meeting last Tuesday, the Board got a preview of planned changes to two intersections on U.S. Highway 75 between Sioux City and Hinton.
The two intersections, at Plymouth County roads C70 and C80, have had a history of car crashes, including two fatal crashes in 2025 and a crash involving members of the Remsen St. Mary’s girls basketball team in November that resulted in nine injuries. That crash prompted the Iowa Department of Transportation to implement safety solutions by reducing the speed limit to 55 mph and deploying cameras and portable message boards.
Iowa DOT District 3 engineer Jessica Felix, who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, presented the DOT’s plan for “reduced conflict intersections” (or RCI) for both intersections to the Board. With an RCI, those turning left on Highway 75 would be directed to take a U-turn, then would turn right to their destination. According to Felix, RCI’s are cheaper and faster to build, reduce potential conflict points, and can reduce fatal and serious injury incidents by 63 percent compared to how the intersections are currently laid out.
The DOT will hold a public meeting on the planned changes on Monday, June 29th from 5-7pm at the DOT’s office in Sioux City. Felix stated during the meeting that the final design of the intersections would be completed in August, with bid letting planned for October and construction scheduled to commence next spring.
