Route N Closure Will Split Eagleville, North Harrison in Two

The pending closure of Route N for a bridge replacement over I-35 will split Eagleville in half for the next few months. The closure is expected to start August 25th and it will reopen on December 1st.

The closure will split Eagleville in two. Motorists will have to go north on I-35 to Route 69 at the Iowa State Line and back, a 16 mile extra trip, to get from the eastern side of Eagleville to the western side. Motorists seeking to go from the west side of Eagleville to the east side will have to travel on I-35 south to the Ridgeway exit, turn around, and come back north, a 14 mile extra trip.

Motorists headed north from Bethany to Eagleville will not be able to use the exit at Route N; they will have to use Route 69 headed north, which has a lot of curves. Motorists heading south from Iowa to use one of the two marijuana dispensaries will  exit off I-35 as usual, but will then have to use Route 69 up to the state line to get back.

The closure will harm several businesses on the east side of Eagleville. Blak Barrell, Rocket Stop, the archery and gun store, Bahbah’s, and Shelton’s Fireworks are all located on the east side, meaning people from Eagleville will have to make a 30 mile round trip to reach them.

The Sheridan Express will deliver papers every Thursday morning to Blak Barrell and the laundromat in Blythedale during the closure, weather permitting.

The closure will also create a hardship for North Harrison, but Superintendent Mike Tipton said he was proud of the bus drivers getting together on their own and putting together a contingency plan. While the closure will mean kids will have to be on the bus more, he said the drivers did all they could to minimize disruptions to the students. Although Route N will not close until three days after school starts, the buses will run their modified routes right away so that parents will know when to expect their kids to be picked up and dropped off.

In addition to the closure of Route N, I-35 will be closed overnight in both directions on August 25th to 29th from 7 pm to 6 pm each night. Traffic will be directed up and over the ramps at Route N; there will be no access to or from Route N during the closure.

The Route 6 bridge in Daviess County is also being replaced. It is expected to reopen in mid-September.

All work is weather permitting and subject to change. Closure and reopening dates may be changed depending on the weather and how fast the work goes.