Fort Dodge Roundabout Opens to North-South Traffic Wednesday
North and South Traffic To Access New Intersection Wednesday
North-south traffic will begin using the newly constructed roundabout intersection just south of the Fort Dodge Regional Airport on Wednesday. Webster County Engineer Jamie Johll stated that the juncture of Nelson Avenue and 170th Street, which previously operated as a conventional right-angle intersection, will open following construction that started in the spring.
The Tech TL;DR:
- North and south traffic shifts to the new roundabout structure on Wednesday.
- A temporary road currently handling north-south traffic will be permanently removed.
- Access to 170th Street will open in phases, starting with the east side on Saturday and the west side in two to three weeks.
Temporary Roads Vanish as Roundabout Opens in Phases
The transition to the new roundabout configuration involves several sequential steps over the coming weeks. North and south traffic currently routes through the area on a temporary road, which Engineer Jamie Johll confirmed will be removed once the primary lanes open on Wednesday. Subsequent phases will open access to 170th Street incrementally. The east side of the roundabout opens to traffic entering and exiting 170th Street on Saturday. The west side of the intersection will follow in two to three weeks, completing full access to that leg of the project.
Relocation and Restoration of the F-84 Thunderstreak
An old fighter jet will eventually be placed in the middle of the roundabout. The F-84 Thunderstreak stood in front of the headquarters of the Iowa Air National Guard’s 133rd Test Squadron, just north of the roundabout, for decades. When the Test Squadron was decommissioned in 2025, the fate of the plane remained uncertain. In July, a 1954 vintage jet was lifted off the ground by an Iowa Army National Guard helicopter and flown to the Air National Guard base in Sioux City for repainting. Johll stated that the jet will probably be returned to Fort Dodge next spring.