Holiday Miracle! Forest Grove Drive In Bettendorf To Reopen-ish Friday

I'm going to be 100% honest with you, I don't know if this comes as good news or more news that's going to confuse you like it has been confusing me for quite a few hours. I guess Forest Grove Drive in Bettendorf is kind of open...? I got an email that things were opening up and then I got a text that one lane is opening but another is closing. How can I best explain? By essentially just relaying what the press release today said, a.k.a. copying and pasting.

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Things Are Still Confusing...

On Wednesday, the City of Bettendorf sent a press release announcing "exciting news" about some lanes opening up near the BettPlex on Forest Grove Drive.

Forest Grove Drive has been very frustrating to maneuver. If you don't think we know, trust us, we know. We know it so much we wrote a story about how crazy it has been driving us. All puns are intended, by the way.

But this is the "exciting news" we got today from the City of Bettendorf. The City said that beginning Friday, December 16, a newly reconstructed portion of Forest Grove Drive starting just east of International Drive to Friendship Path will be reopened to traffic (Yay?...).

The Forest Grove Drive and Friendship Path intersection will also be opened, allowing access to Middle Road and the TBK Bank Sports Complex and businesses to traffic from the west.

Still confused? There's more.

When one lane opens, another one... closes?

The City of Bettendorf says that also starting on Friday, Forest Grove Drive between Friendship Path and Middle Road will be closed for continued construction.

The intersection of Forest Grove Drive and Championship Drive will also close. TBK Bank Sports Complex area businesses can be accessed using Friendship Path and Competition Drive only. Thru traffic on Forest Grove Drive will be detoured using Middle Road, 53rd Avenue, and Devils Glen Road. Again, here is that map graphic.

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The end of Phase I and the beginning of Phase 2

The actual good news is that this is all wrapping up Phase I of this massive project.

The City of Bettendorf also said that beginning January 2023, construction begins on the new roundabout at Forest Grove Drive and Middle Road. The date for the intersection closure will be announced soon.

Traffic on Forest Grove Drive will be detoured using the recently completed extension of Competition Drive east of Middle Road, as seen in the graphic below.

No matter what, Be safe and stay alert during construction – slow down, follow the signs and be patient as crews work on the new, cool stuff we'll be using all the time in a couple of years.

So what is all this construction leading towards?

It's all leading to new roads, roundabouts, pedestrian walkways, and the brand-new Iron Tee Golf.

Scroll through and check out all of the new things coming to the Middle Road/Forest Grove Drive/I-80/Northeast part of Bettendorf. If they moved the Isle Hotel & Casino out there, they could call it the Bett n' Play area. Just a thought.

Iron Tee Golf will also feature a 10,000 square-foot state-of-the-art video gaming space, which will include an immersive virtual reality platform named “Hyperdeck VR” and “Lucky-Putt Golf”.  A new tech-driven way to play mini golf.

This is just phase one for Iron Tee Golf as they also stated a "future" 18,000 Sqft outdoor common plaza area will be staged between the multi-sport fields and the golf venue.

Roundabouts with walking and biking paths crossing.

Might be better to use the pedestrian bridge to cross the road.

Trails, monuments, and more as the new gateway to Bettendorf.

This is how it will all look in 3ish years.

Then you can walk happily along like these people.

As we said before, until the construction is complete, it will be a big frustration for drivers trying to maneuver around the area.

As that construction takes place, take the time to check out some of the shops and restaurants in the area. They definitely could use your support.

Stay updated on all the Forest Grove developments on the city's website.