Interstate 235 (Iowa)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Interstate 235 marker

Interstate 235

John MacVicar Freeway
Map
I-235 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-35
Maintained by Iowa DOT
Length13.78 mi[1] (22.18 km)
ExistedDecember 14, 1961[2]–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-35 / I-80 in West Des Moines
Major intersections
East end I-35 / I-80 in Ankeny
Location
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountiesPolk
Highway system
← Iowa 224→ US 275

Interstate 235 (I-235) in

I-80 in West Des Moines to the separation of the same two Interstates in Ankeny
. The highway is approximately 14 miles (23 km) long.

I-235, which had seen little improvement since its construction in the 1960s, was completely rebuilt and widened in a project that spanned most of the 2000s. Prior to the reconstruction, I-235 had two lanes in each direction with a third lane near downtown; the entire route now has at least three lanes of traffic in each direction, with an additional one or two lanes closer to the heart of the city. The modernized freeway now handles on average between 75,000 and 125,000 vehicles per day, making it the busiest highway in the state of Iowa.

Route description

I-235 begins at the western intersection of

Valley High School.[4]

At Windsor Heights at a tight partial cloverleaf interchange, I-235 meets 73rd Street/8th Street at exit 3. The interchange is particularly tight because of an Iowa Interstate Railroad line just to the east. 73rd Street/8th Street are actually a single road: north of I-235, 73rd Street follows the Des Moines street numbering plan, while south of I-235, 8th Street follows the older street numbering plan of West Des Moines.[5]

Midday traffic on I-235

At the

governor's mansion, to the south.[3]

East of 31st Street, I-235 briefly picks up a fifth lane and drops a lane westbound, creating a 10-lane freeway just west of downtown. This stretch of freeway receives, on average, over 125,000 vehicles per day,[6] making it the busiest stretch of road in the state.[7]

The skyline of a city. A bridge crosses a river in the center.
I-235 crosses the Des Moines River in downtown Des Moines.

There are three eastbound interchanges connecting I-235 to downtown Des Moines. From exit 7A, Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and 19th Street, a pair of

oneway streets, lead traffic to the west of downtown. From exit 7B, Keosauqua Way, known locally as Keo Way, enters downtown from the northwest. These interchanges are combined westbound at exit 7. Closer to the Des Moines River, a combined interchange in each direction (exit 8A) filters off the rest of downtown traffic to two destinations: 7th Street and 6th Avenue and 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue, each of which are pairs of oneway streets. The fourth lane of traffic drops off at this combined interchange.[6]

At the

Iowa 163/East University Avenue at exit 10A. Up to now, East University Avenue had been relatively parallel to I-235.[3] It also provides access to the Iowa State Fairgrounds
for northbound I-35 and eastbound I-80 traffic.

At Iowa 163, I-235 begins curving to the north, dividing an industrial district to the west and residential areas to the east. It intersects

I-80 again at the East interchange.[3]

History

See caption
The current route of I-235 closely follows the original plans from 1955, seen here.

The first section of I-235 to open, from Cottage Grove Avenue to Keo Way, opened on December 14, 1961. Over the next seven years, sections of I-235 opened, spreading east and west toward the interchanges until it was completed on October 30, 1968.[8] Construction of the freeway required the acquisition of 1,650 parcels, the demolition of three schools and seven churches, and closure of the original Des Moines Golf and Country Club.[9]

In October 1963, the

city council designated I-235 the John MacVicar Freeway in honor of two former mayors of Des Moines: John MacVicar Sr. (1896–1900, 1916–1918, 1928) and John MacVicar Jr. (1942–1948).[9]
However, this name is seldom used; most people simply refer to it as I-235.

In March 2002, a six-year-long project to completely rebuild I-235 and the bridges which cross it began. The first two years consisted of rebuilding most of the bridges which cross it, starting with 42nd Street in West Des Moines. The final four years of the project entailed finishing the remaining bridges and widening, regrading, and repaving the entire length of the highway.[10]

A large arched suspension bridge passes over a busy highway. The nighttime skyline is seen through the cable supports.
The Edna M. Griffin Memorial Bridge

Pedestrian bridges

An additional part of the highway improvement plan were three pedestrian bridges, located at 40th, 44th, and East 6th streets. The three bridges were replacements for bridges which were too narrow to accommodate the newly widened highway. These highly visible bridges act as icons, locating the neighborhoods for travelers along the freeway. The design of the I-235 pedestrian bridges was completed by Boston-based bridge designer Miguel Rosales in collaboration with HNTB Engineering.[11] The three bridges, the Edna M. Griffin Memorial Bridge (East 6th Street), the 40th Street Pedestrian Bridge, and the Rider Way Pedestrian Bridge (44th Street) were each completed by 2005.[12]

The new design utilizes basket–handle steel arches with clear spans of approximately 230 feet (70 m). Inclined cables connect the steel blue arches to the prestressed concrete deck. By selecting a

tied arch form, the Iowa Department of Transportation was able to keep disruption of traffic to a minimum during construction. An innovative curved screen system is used to enhance security and the appearance of the structure creating a visually appealing experience for pedestrians and bicyclists using the bridge. The resulting series of bridges has created a distinctive form that is unique to the city and the state.[12]

Exit list

The entire route is in Polk County.

Locationmi[3]kmExitDestinationsNotes
West Des Moines0.0000.000123 I-35 / I-80 – Council Bluffs, Kansas City, Minneapolis, ChicagoExit number based on I-80 mileage; I-80 exit 123A
0.5790.9321A50th Street – West Des MoinesWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
1.3172.1201BValley West Drive – West Des MoinesFormerly 35th Street
2.1363.438222nd Street – West Des Moines, Clive
West Des Moines–Windsor Heights line3.2165.176373rd Street north / 8th Street south – Windsor Heights, West Des Moines
Windsor Heights–Des Moines line3.8266.1574 Iowa 28 (63rd Street) – Windsor Heights
Des Moines4.3336.9735A56th StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance only
5.3428.5975B42nd Street – Art Center
5.8909.479—35th StreetEastbound exit only, removed during reconstruction project
6.1449.888631st Street – Terrace Hill Historic Site
6.78010.911—Cottage Grove AvenueRemoved during reconstruction project
7.051–
7.388		11.347–
11.890		7 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway, 19th Street, Keosauqua Way – DSM Airport, Pappajohn Sculpture ParkSigned as exits 7A (MLK Jr. Pkwy./19th Ave.) and 7B (Keo. Way) eastbound
7.54312.139—12th StreetEastbound and westbound entrance only; removed during reconstruction project
7.727–
8.230		12.435–
13.245		8ADowntown Des Moines, Iowa Events CenterAccess to 2nd, 5th, and 6th Avenues and 3rd and 7th Streets
7.83512.609—7th StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance only; reconfigured during reconstruction project
7.97212.830—5th AvenueNo westbound entrance; reconfigured during reconstruction project
8.20213.200—2nd Avenue, 3rd StreetEastbound and westbound entrance only; reconfigured during reconstruction project
8.71814.0308BE. 6th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue
9.317–
9.631		14.994–
15.500		9
US 69
(E. 14th Street south / E. 15th Street north)
10.07016.20610A Iowa 163 (E. University Avenue) – State FairgroundsNo eastbound exit to westbound Iowa 163, eastbound entrance to westbound I-235, or eastbound entrance
10.47816.86310B
 To Iowa 163 (E. University Avenue) / Easton Boulevard		Eastbound exit and entrance only
11.24118.09111Guthrie Avenue
12.12919.52012 US 6 (E. Euclid Avenue) – Grand View University
Minneapolis
Exit number based on I-80 mileage; signed as exits 137A (east) and 137B (south/west)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ Federal Highway Administration (October 31, 2006). "Route Log and Finder List - Interstate System - Table 2". Retrieved June 23, 2007.
  2. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (1996). The National System of Interstate Defense Highways 1956–1996.
  3. ^ a b c d e 2009 Volume of Traffic on the Primary Road System of Iowa (PDF) (Report). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  4. ^ "35th Street gets a second name". The Des Moines Register. April 4, 1988. p. 9.
  5. ^ Iowa State Railroad Map (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. July 1, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Traffic Flow Map of Des Moines A, Polk County (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  7. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation. "Traffic Counts". Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  8. ^ Iowa Completion Status of Interstate System (PDF) (Map). Iowa Department of Transportation. January 1, 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  9. ^ a b Gatti, Ruth (November 24, 1993). "Super road slices through city". The Des Moines Register. p. 2N-S. Retrieved February 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Iowa Department of Transportation (2005). "I-235 Construction". Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  11. ^ Admin. "Miguel Rosales". Structurae. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  12. ^ a b Iowa Department of Transportation (2005). "Pedestrian Bridges - General Information". Retrieved March 20, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 235 (Iowa).
KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Interstate 235 (Iowa)
KML is from Wikidata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interstate_235_(Iowa)&oldid=1185276076"