Based on the traffic study, the City proposes the following improvements along the 2nd Avenue Corridor. The concept drawing shows the 2^nd Avenue reconstruction from University Avenue to the Des Moines River which includes:

• Pavement Reconstruction - Full pavement reconstruction of four-lane with 11-foot wide lanes, new curbs and gutters and new five-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides.
• Forest Avenue Realignment - Realignment of the east leg of Forest Avenue at the intersection of 2nd Avenue to align with the west leg of Forest Avenue at the intersection of 2nd Avenue.
• Clark Street Realignment - Realignment of the east leg of Clark Street at the intersection of 2nd Avenue to align with the west leg of Clark Street at the intersection of 2nd Avenue.
• Left-Turn Lanes at Select Intersections – Adding left-turn lanes at the following intersections along 2^nd Avenue:
• Franklin Avenue (2^nd Avenue northbound left-turn lane).
• College Avenue (2^nd Avenue northbound and southbound left-turn lanes).
• Forest Avenue (2^nd Avenue northbound and southbound left-turn lanes).
• Clark Street (2^nd Avenue northbound and southbound left-turn lanes).
• Access Control Improvements – Eliminate and/or consolidate driveway accesses along the corridor to reduce the number of conflict points / turning movements.

The street reconstruction will require right-of-way (ROW) acquisition along the 2^nd Avenue corridor.  In some cases, approximately four feet of right-of-way will be needed along various properties; in other cases, partial or full property acquisition may be required.  The City’s Real Estate Division and City Engineering staff will work directly with individual property owners impacted by the proposed improvements.

The basic procedures the City of Des Moines follows in acquiring property interests for public improvement projects are shown in the Real Estate brochure.

Construction along the corridor is anticipated to start in early 2022 and be complete in early 2025.  The City estimates a majority of the bridge construction will occur in 2022 and 2023, a majority of the storm sewer construction will occur in 2023, and a majority of the road reconstruction will occur from 2023 to early 2025.

There will be road closures and lane reductions during construction.  2^nd Avenue will have one lane of traffic in each direction open at a time during construction.  Driveway access points along the corridor will be maintained as much as possible by staging construction or temporary gravel accesses, except when construction is occurring immediately in front of the access or the access is being replaced.  The bridges will be constructed in stages to maintain one lane of traffic in each direction.  The City anticipates Birdland Drive will be closed for most of the time while the 2^nd Avenue Bridge is under construction. Once construction starts, closures and detour routes will be posted on the Road Closure Map on the City's website. 

The City anticipates Birdland Drive (under the 2^nd Avenue Bridge) will be closed for the majority of time the bridge is under construction which is estimated to occur primarily in 2022 and 2023; therefore, the City estimates Birdland Drive will be closed for the majority of 2022 and 2023.

Project Costs
The Road Reconstruction and Storm Sewer work, anticipated to be under one construction contract, is estimated to cost in total $16.5 Million.

The Rehabilitation of the 2nd Avenue Bridge over Des Moines River and the replacement of the 2nd Avenue Bridge over Birdland Drive are estimated to cost around $7 Million.

Project Funding
The 2^nd Avenue Roadway Reconstruction is part of the Central Place Industrial Park Redevelopment Program Urban Renewal Plan and will be funded with tax increment financing (TIF) assistance.  Tax increment financing uses increased property taxes generated by new development within the urban renewal area boundary.

The storm sewer work is funded as part of the City’s sewer separation work out of the storm water and sanitary sewer enterprise, funded by storm water and sanitary sewer user fees.  The storm water user fees are charged to every storm water runoff contributor owning or occupying a single-family residential property, a multifamily residential property, an unclassified residential property, or a nonresidential property, other than exempt property, based on rates based on ERU's or Equivalent Resident Unit - the average impervious area of residential developed property per dwelling unit located within the city (ERU=2,349 sf).  The sanitary sewer user fees are charged monthly to every customer whose property lies within the corporate limits of the City and are based on a monthly service charge and the usage or volume of estimated through the use of water meter data.

The bridge construction is funded with a combination of funding including federal funding, gaming funds, and issuance of General Obligation Bonds which are paid by a levy on all taxable property within the City.

For media inquiries:

All media inquiries should go through the City’s Communications Office, call (515) 283-4057 or email pio@dmgov.org.

For questions related to the storm sewer and roadway reconstruction, contact:

Matt K. Radermacher, P.E.

City of Des Moines Engineering Department

Phone (515) 283-4076

MKRadermacher@dmgov.org

For questions related to the bridges, contact:

Ben M. Cole, P.E.

City of Des Moines Engineering Department

Phone (515)283-4176

BMCole@dmgov.org