Why Rebuild?
Looking to the Future
The
goals of I-235 reconstruction are to improve safety, update
the facility to current roadway design standards, reduce congestion,
and improve mobility.
Constructed in the 1960s, I-235 is seriously outdated. It
reflects 40-year-old design standards, and is wearing out.
- The pavement is beyond its 30-to 40-year life expectancy
and rapidly deteriorating.
- Because of their low clearance, bridges are frequently
hit by high-profile vehicles.
- Interchanges are too closely spaced.
- The limited number of traffic lanes causes congestion
during peak travel periods.
- The highway fails to meet present traffic demands, and
those predicted for the future.
- Even with improvements to city streets and other state
highways, the area can't handle the projected traffic over
the next 20 years.
As the major transportation corridor through the Des Moines
metropolitan and state capitol areas, the 14-mile freeway carries
significantly more traffic than any other corridor in the state,
and is critical to the economic development and growth of the
area.
I-235 also has a higher-than-average vehicle crash rate. The
crash toll continues to rise, averaging 850 collisions per
year along the entire length, including the 21 interchanges.
The new freeway could save lives and head off serious crashes.
Planned
Improvements
- The
rebuilding project will reconstruct I-235 to current design
standards.
- At least six through travel lanes (three in each direction)
will be built the entire length of the freeway.
- In some sections there will be an additional lane, or
four lanes in each direction.
- The entrance and exit ramps will be lengthened.
- Bridges with low clearances will be rebuilt.
- The appearance of the corridor will be enhanced with lighting,
plants and color variations on the bridges.
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