County Road N14 is officially being torn apart — and the rebuilding process is now underway.
Buena Vista County Engineer Bret Wilkinson gave the county board of supervisors an update last Tuesday on the reconstruction project between Iowa Highway 3 and Albert City. The project is part of an $11.15 million contract awarded to Croell Inc. of New Hampton in June that also includes reconstruction of Business Highway 71.
Wilkinson says crews have already milled the asphalt from N14, exposing the older concrete underneath. The next steps include removing the concrete, reshaping the underlying dirt, installing geogrid and then crushing the old concrete for use as the new road base.
Wilkinson says crews are expected to begin removing the shoulders and old concrete soon, likely starting from the north end of the project.
That area also includes the project’s major drainage improvement at the C29 intersection. The existing culvert will be replaced with a larger one, and Wilkinson says that work could temporarily create the most significant access problem along the project.
Wilkinson says the culvert work is expected to take only one or two days before the area can potentially be crossed again.
He added that the county is working with the contractor to maintain access for residents, farmers and livestock operations along N14, particularly during harvest.
Wilkinson says the county is also working with the post office on temporary mailboxes for residents along N14. He says the contractor initially did not plan to provide temporary boxes, but some residents raised concerns.
The road remains closed to through traffic, although residents who live along N14 are being allowed to use the existing pavement to reach their properties.
The county’s earlier plans called for the roughly two-mile N14 reconstruction to be completed before winter.
Wilkinson also told supervisors the contractor still plans to replace the box culvert on Business Highway 71 later this fall, with that work expected to begin in late October or early November and take about three weeks.
The larger Highway 71 reconstruction is expected to continue into 2027 as part of the same project package.
