Main Street bridge closure changes Union school routes in La Porte City

La Porte City’s Main Street bridge will close for repairs Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to an updated Union Community School District notice. The closure includes the sidewalk used by students walking to the high school.

The district says it and the city requested that the bridge sidewalk remain open during construction, but that request was denied because of the repairs. Families should refer directly to district communications for school transportation arrangements.

In its Oct. 12 “Clarification and Bus Times” notice, the district corrects the earlier date and says the bridge will close to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic Tuesday, Oct. 13. Citing city officials, it says the project is scheduled for approximately one month, rather than necessarily multiple months as previously communicated. A specific reopening date has not been confirmed.

The updated estimate differs from the city’s March 2026 newsletter, which anticipated approximately two weeks of work with the bridge closed. That earlier estimate should not be treated as the current reopening schedule.

Repairs were planned well before this week. A Jan. 26 contractor quote included in the Feb. 23 council packet specified that a full closure would be needed and that the city would handle traffic control. The council’s Feb. 23 minutes record approval of Boulder’s proposal.

The March newsletter said work was expected in late summer, coordinated with the Highway 218 bridge project, and ideally completed before the 2026–27 school year began. Why the schedule moved into October has not been independently confirmed.

The earlier engineering report helps explain the repair needs. AECOM’s February 2025 report, based on a March 2024 inspection, identified deteriorating concrete at the bridge approaches and joints, damage to the barrier separating the road and sidewalk, deck cracks and erosion near the abutments. It recommended maintenance to extend the bridge’s life and described its overall structural condition as good at that time. That assessment is historical, not a new statement about its condition today.

Superintendent John Howard told KRTR in a text message Monday that the city clerk called at 7:37 a.m. and that he received final confirmation when they spoke that morning. He said Oct. 12 had previously been discussed, but nothing had been finalized. Howard said he had been communicating frequently with the city over the past month or so and had a letter prepared since Sept. 22, awaiting the dates.

According to the district’s updated notice, the city learned the repair timing Monday morning and immediately informed the district. Howard’s account describes the district’s final confirmation that morning after earlier discussions of a possible start date. These accounts distinguish advance planning for the repairs from final confirmation of the schedule.