DES MOINES, Iowa — One of the busiest corridors in Des Moines will soon undergo major construction.
The bid to revamp the stretch of 2nd Avenue between the Des Moines River and University Avenue was approved by city council Monday.
"That pavement is in poor condition and needs complete reconstruction," city engineer Steven Naber told Local 5. "It would be much easier for me and everyone on the corridor if we could just mill off a couple inches and pave a couple inches over top of it, but that'd be like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone."
According to the city, 18,000 vehicles travel on the corridor each day, and a total of 52 properties occupy this stretch.
With more vehicle traffic comes a greater risk of collisions. According to Naber, Second Avenue was identified through Des Moines' Vision Zero Transportation Safety Action Plan as being on the city's "High Injury Network", meaning the section had more crashes that resulted in deaths and serious injuries than most other streets.
The upcoming project is centered around making some much-needed safety improvements.
"The geometric improvements are 100% for safety purposes," Naber said. "We don’t want to just put back the curbs and roads when we know we can make these safety improvements to make this corridor safer for everyone.”
Key elements of the construction plan include full pavement reconstruction on all four lanes, adding left turn lanes to several intersections, and widening the sidewalks so that there is more space between pedestrians and vehicles.
The city warns that drivers should be prepared for road closures and traffic backups during construction, as traffic will be condensed to only one lane in both directions.
Despite the inconvenience, Naber believes this project will make the corridor a safer place to drive and walk.
"Adding those turn lanes, putting new sidewalks with a parkway separating the sidewalks from the roadway ... it's just gonna be a benefit to everyone," Naber said.
Construction will begin in early 2024 and is scheduled to finish in late 2026.