Details emerge for implementing corridor plan
The Iowa Department of Transportation and city of Des Moines have revealed important details for implementing the first steps of the Douglas Avenue corridor plan that was approved in February 2020. When the plan was approved, the hope was to have the first steps implemented during 2020. However, because COVID-19 dramatically affected traffic patterns throughout the metro area, it was decided to postpone in order to obtain more accurate data throughout the first phase of the plan. In the coming months, though, city planners insist the corridor plan will once again move at full speed ahead.
In the first phase of the Douglas Avenue corridor plan, the roadway between Merle Hay Rd and Lower Beaver Rd will be reduced to one lane in each direction and a center turn lane.
Starting in spring 2021, the city will be studying traffic speed and patterns. Then, during the summer, the Iowa Department of Transportation will resurface the corridor from Merle Hay Road to the Des Moines River.
Once the resurfacing work is complete, the city of Des Moines will restripe the entire corridor. The roadway between Merle Hay Road and Lower Beaver Road will be restriped with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. Between Lower Beaver Road and the Des Moines River, the roadway will be restriped with five lanes, but the lanes will be narrowed slightly. For this pilot project, drivers will notice extra pavement on either side of the road resembling a shoulder or bike lane so that, if the pilot project is not successful, the striping may returned to the original configuration.
In Fall 2022, the city will once again collect data to assess the impact of the new roadway configuration on traffic speed and flow. If the project is deemed a success, the city has allocated $8 million in FY2024 and FY2025 to move curbs and add sidewalks.