The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging local citizens to be patient during the Mile Long Bridge Closure. 

This is part of an overlay project of the bridge and replacement of the smaller bridge north of the Mile Long Bridge. The project is projected for a 200 day completion and is expected to be done in October. Alternative routes that can be used during the closure include Highway 163 to County Highway T-17 to Highway 92 and vice versa. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office will have a deputy on the north and south sides of the lake so they are prepared in case of a potential situation. Sheriff Jason Sandholdt encourages all citizens to use patience during the closure, despite the inconvenience.

“It’s being patient. Obviously they’re doing the construction on the bridge for a reason. We want to have good roads, we want to have safe roads, and we want to have roads that aren’t crumbling and that takes time. A lot of times people are inconvenienced by it but it is a necessary evil in regards to having good roads in the State of Iowa. The DOT is catching some grief right now with all of the construction happening especially here in Marion County, but it’s about giving them a little bit of a break and realizing that this is to make things better for the long run.”

Hear more about the project from Sandholdt on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.