To borrow parlance from an iconic Iowa-based movie, the phrase “If you build it they will come,” has been shown to be true if the thing being built is a modernization of U.S. Highway 20 to finally make it four lanes wide across the entire Hawkeye State.

Phillips, of Sac City, was the president of the U.S. 20 Corridor Association for years, working with a group of people from Webster County west to Woodbury County to get the old pock-marked, two-lane version converted to four lanes like in the eastern two-thirds of Iowa.

That was finally achieved in fall 2018, when a 30-mile segment from Early to Correctionville was feted with fanfare by dignitaries.

State statistics from the six years since have shown that traffic counts on U.S. Highway 20 near Fort Dodge continue to climb higher, just like predicted by Phillips, who died Nov. 26 at age 75.

Those higher driving counts bring more people to shop in Fort Dodge, and make Webster County a place businesses will expand or consider locating in, said Vickie Reeck, the community and economic development director for the city of Fort Dodge.

“A four-lane highway allows industrial businesses in Webster County to move products faster, reducing shipping times and costs,” she said. “It also provides better access to other markets and distribution hubs. When looking to locate a company in Webster County, better access makes us a more attractive place to do business and positions us for growth.”

The stats are clear, as seen in two Iowa Department of Transportation traffic counters on both sides of Webster County, one located near Rockwell City and the other by Webster City. In November, the IDOT counters showed an average daily number of U.S. Highway 20 users as 11, 201 in Hamilton County and 7,556 for Calhoun County.

In 2017, the year before the four-laning was done, the average daily traffic counts for the year were 9,515 in Hamilton County and 6,110 in Calhoun County.

Looked at in two-year gaps, those average daily traffic totals rose in 2019, went higher in 2021 and still higher in 2023.

When Sheila and Kevin Stumpf built their Marker 126 travel center on, well, the mile marker 126 spot of U.S. Highway 20 east of Fort Dodge, they well understood increasing traffic that was coming through the area.

“It is just going to keep going up more and more,” Kevin Stumpf said.

He farmed many years near Rockwell City, and remembers how narrow the two-lane highway was. Plus, with few passing opportunities on rolling hills, traffic could get backed up.

Phillips also often told the story of how ambulances bound from Sac County hated the bumpy road.

Stumpf also knew that over the 85 miles from Webster City to Holstein, there were only two convenience stores on U.S. Highway 20. So he figured Marker 126 would be poised, with its offerings of gasoline, a restaurant and coffee shop, to serve the larger number of drivers. Stumpf said that has proven true.

Just a few days ago, Stumpf spoke at Marker 126 with a driver from Michigan who was using U.S. Highway 20 for the first time, after going with other interstate routes previously.

Stumpf agreed with Reeck that U.S. Highway 20 has increasing opportunities to be an alternative for east-west travelers to avoid Interstate 80 in Iowa and Interstate 90 in southern Minnesota.

Reeck said when it comes to retail businesses in Fort Dodge, a busier highway brings more shoppers who spend more and who can see the breadth of business options.

“More spending equals greater tax collection, which can then be invested in our community,” she said.

Phillips frequently said no one person can claim responsibility for the project’s completion. So when the highway was about to be fully four-laned, the association released an honor roll of key people who pushed for it. The list included V.H. “Buck” Boekelman, a longtime member of U.S. 20 Corridor Association; Floyd Magnusson, a former Webster County supervisor who was the president of the association before Phillips; former state Sen. Rod Halverson and former state Rep. Norm Mundie.

Former state Sen. Daryl Beall and former state Rep. David Tjpekes also played key roles in getting the project completed.

Phillips modestly didn’t include her own name.

Stumpf is also keeping track of efforts to modernize U.S. Highway 20 in Illinois.

“I am hoping when they get Highway 20 to Chicago, that will get more traffic here, too,” he said.

Reeck anticipates continued growth.

“Having a four-lane highway provides a faster, more reliable route across Iowa, which is naturally going to attract more trucking and freight companies to use Highway 20,” she said.

Iowa Department of Transportation traffic counters on U.S. Highway 20 in Hamilton and Calhoun counties show the increase in vehicles using the route. There are no traffic counters in Webster County.

Hamilton County

2017 ……..9,515

2019…….10,393

2021…….10,553

2023……10,890

Calhoun County

2017…….6,110

2019……7.265

2021……7,498

2023…….7,718