MAHASKA COUNTY, Iowa – After nearly 40 years of planning, advocacy, and perseverance, the long-anticipated Southeast Connector is finally becoming a reality in Mahaska County. Local, state, and federal leaders gathered to break ground on the major infrastructure project, which promises to improve safety, stimulate economic growth, and relieve congestion in Oskaloosa’s downtown.
The Southeast Connector project aims to link U.S. Highway 63 with Highway 23, providing a direct route to the city’s industrial park and a 500-acre certified development site. Mahaska County Engineer Andrew McGuire called it a “landmark-style project” and said work is already underway.
“DeLong Construction moved in their equipment just a few days ago,” McGuire said. “People are going to start seeing visible progress very soon, with heavy grading work taking place this year. The hope is to wrap construction by 2027, maybe even 2026 if Mother Nature cooperates.”
For McGuire, the project represents more than infrastructure. “This is a dream come true for a guy like me,” he said. “As a kid, I loved farming and building things. This connects both improving roads for agriculture and industry alike.”
The benefits stretch far beyond personal fulfillment. McGuire emphasized that the new connector will redirect truck traffic out of residential neighborhoods along 15th and 17th avenues, improving safety and quality of life. “Now, trucks going to places like DFS, Church & Dwight, or Iowa Wood won’t have to travel through residential areas,” he said. “It will be safer and quieter for families and more efficient for business.”
Safety was a recurring theme among project partners. Beth Danowsky, president of the Mahaska Chamber & Development Group, noted that downtown Oskaloosa’s accident rate is three times the state average due to its role as a thoroughfare for U.S. 63, part of a commercial corridor stretching from Wisconsin to Louisiana.
“Oskaloosa has a workforce that’s 24% manufacturing,” Danowsky said. “Collectively, our local industries are exporting to 180 countries. They’re growing, and they need infrastructure that supports that expansion. This connector makes our roads safer and more efficient while positioning us for future economic development.”
That development potential includes a shovel-ready, 500-acre certified site, spearheaded by the Mahaska Chamber and Development group, a major selling point for attracting new business. “The Iowa Economic Development Authority designed this certification process so companies can come in with much of the due diligence already done,” McGuire explained. “It takes away a lot of the guesswork.”
Mayor David Krutzfeldt echoed the importance of infrastructure in supporting Oskaloosa’s economy and community identity. “This project allows us to maintain that hallmark small-town feel in our downtown by easing congestion and reducing traffic interference during events,” he said. “It also helps us market our certified site. Transportation is always one of the first things companies ask about.”
Krutzfeldt called the project a “watershed moment,” praising the alignment of federal, state, and local support that finally brought the Southeast Connector to life. “In the history of communities, there are moments when visionary leadership makes a lasting impact. This is one of those moments,” he said.
Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Groenendyk celebrated the moment as a triumph of vision and persistence. “We’re not just breaking ground, we’re paving the way for economic growth, safer travel, and stronger connections,” he said. “This project proves that when a community comes together with determination and a shared goal, great things happen.”
Groenendyk acknowledged the many hands that made the project possible, including the City, County, Chamber, and McClure Engineering, and various local and state offices. “As we lift our shovels today, let’s celebrate the power of a community that never gave up,” he said. “When we come together, dreams become reality.”
At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks emphasized the power of local leadership and federal partnership. “Projects like the Southeast Connector don’t happen without persistent, grassroots advocacy,” she said. “The federal government doesn’t always know what a town like Oskaloosa needs, but when local leaders bring their case directly to my office, I make sure their voices are heard.”
Miller-Meeks, a long-time advocate for rural infrastructure and economic development, called the project a blueprint for how federal investment should work. “This is about more than roads. It’s about safer neighborhoods, stronger small businesses, and unlocking opportunities for the next generation of Iowans,” she said. “I was proud to work alongside state and local partners to help secure the resources needed to make this dream a reality for Mahaska County.”
The Southeast Connector project is supported in part by Iowa’s largest-ever Iowa DOT Revitalizing Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) grant. With Phase 1 now underway, the region’s leaders are optimistic about what lies ahead.
The Southeast Connector is more than a road; it’s a promise kept. It represents years of persistence by a community determined to move forward. As bulldozers begin to reshape the land, the foundation is being laid not just for concrete and asphalt, but for a safer, stronger, and more connected future in Mahaska County.