DES MOINES, Iowa — After five years of barrels along the busy roadway, city leaders in Des Moines say an end is in sight for the massive Fleur Drive reconstruction project.
Last fall, city engineer Steven Naber told Local 5 that the project's end date was set for this month. As of Wednesday, that hasn't changed.
The work on Fleur included reconstructing the road in its entirety. That portion was complete in June.
"The city is [currently] resurfacing Fleur Drive between McKinley Avenue and Army Post Road, and that work is anticipated to wrap up at the end of September," Naber said.
All along, the goal has remained the same: Make one of the city's busiest roadways safer for drivers and pedestrians alike.
"It's a main corridor that connects our Des Moines International Airport to downtown. About 30,000 vehicles travel at each day," Naber told Local 5. "We're happy to get to be wrapping up these improvements on such a major artery into our downtown."
There are future plans to re-pave a separate stretch of Fleur between George Flagg and MLK parkways. That work is scheduled for 2025, but it will have much less of an impact for drivers than the current reconstruction, according to Naber.
Crews also re-paved the main entrance to Des Moines International Airport this week. That project is separate from the phases of Fleur Drive, but also serves to improve the roadway.