WINDSOR HEIGHTS, Iowa — Anyone who's ever driven around the metro knows that construction detours can get frustrating, but they're for a good cause. And with lots of projects wrapping up in the near future, let's take a look at what might look different during your next commute.
In Clive, the intersection of Hickman Road and 128th Street is being expanded to add dual left-turn lanes. I-35 is getting resurfaced with new asphalt from First Street South to the Northeast mixmaster. I-35 is also seeing additional landscaping within the city limits of Ankeny.
And all of that is just the start. There's a lot of effort being put in to keep central Iowa roads safe.
"Folks can have a safe and smooth ride to and from wherever they're headed, whether the community for work or pleasure or whatever the case may be," said Tony Gustafson, District 1 Engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The City of Windsor Heights has been hard at work on their own construction projects, starting repairs to four separate roads. Now, after a year and a half of work, they're looking at a new project: reconstructing 73rd Street between University Avenue and Hickman Road.
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"We'll tear out the road, put in a whole bunch of storm sewer, do water main modifications and replacements as necessary cemetery sewer replacements," said Dalton Jacobus, Public Works Director for the City of Windsor Heights. "And then we're going to be installing a turn lane near Clive Learning Academy."
Jacobus told Local 5 the 73rd Street reconstruction is about halfway through the design process. They are hoping to break ground on the project in 2024.
Maintaining roads for the thousands of Iowans who use them is no easy task. But for the crews working on them, keeping them up to drivers' standards is the goal of the job.
"We're trying to maintain a certain level of service for the pavement, getting rid of the rough road," Gustafson said. "Drivers want to see a smooth pavement, it's how they judge our work. So that's a lot of it, is stewardship."
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