WEST DES MOINES, Iowa —
Construction near two West Des Moines schools complicated the first day of classes Monday, but city officials say the temporary traffic headache is part of a larger project intended to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety along Grand Avenue.
Grand Avenue is narrowed to one lane in each direction near Sacred Heart School and Stilwell Junior High as crews work on improvements near the 16th Street intersection.
West Des Moines City Engineer Brian Hemesath said the city had hoped to begin work earlier, but utility relocations and delays involving some structures pushed back the start.
Still, Hemesath said the project was never expected to be finished before students returned.
“We just had some delays to start, but the duration of this project was always going to be about five to six months long,” Hemesath said. “It was always going to run into the school year.”
Hemesath said Iowa’s relatively short construction season limits when the city can complete major roadway projects. Crews generally have from spring until around Thanksgiving, and the city tries to avoid leaving partially completed work sitting through the winter.
City documents prepared before construction began also show the overlap with the school year was built into the schedule. In May, the city set a Nov. 20 substantial-completion deadline for most of the project, with final completion scheduled for April 30, 2027.
Project will widen Grand Avenue and add a safer crossing
The 16th Street and Grand Avenue project involves more than resurfacing the road.
The city is widening Grand Avenue and extending a five-lane cross section from just east of Vine Street through the 16th Street intersection. The finished roadway will include a dedicated eastbound left-turn lane at 16th Street.
The project will also add a pedestrian hybrid beacon at 16th and Grand.
The beacon is designed to remain dark until a pedestrian activates it. It then uses flashing and solid lights to alert drivers and eventually stop traffic, giving pedestrians a protected opportunity to cross.
City documents specifically describe the beacon as a way to provide a safer crossing of Grand Avenue near the two schools. The project was initially planned as an independent project, with an estimated $650,000 in funding.
Hemesath said the city regularly monitors vehicle and pedestrian activity and determined the location needed an improved crossing.
“The data clearly showed that we needed a safe crossing for all these students that are going to be crossing the street,” Hemesath said.
City traffic counts show more than 10,000 vehicles travel stretches of Grand Avenue near the schools on an average day.
“On any given day in West Des Moines, Grand Avenue can see 10,000 vehicles traveling across it,” Hemesath said. “And when you’re mixing that kind of traffic with children, it can pose some unique challenges.”
Construction has significantly changed access near Sacred Heart
The contractor closed the 16th Street intersection during the week of July 20 to begin removing pavement. The city kept one lane of Grand Avenue open in each direction.
Construction has also limited several normal entrances around Sacred Heart.
In a July 31 notice, Sacred Heart said entrances from Grand Avenue had been closed while crews worked on utilities and sidewalks. During school drop-off and pickup, families were directed to enter from 16th Street and exit onto Grand Avenue. Other normal access points were blocked by the project.
Sacred Heart has said the intersection at 16th and Grand is expected to remain closed until roughly the middle of October.
The construction also required a complete weekend closure of Grand Avenue immediately before the first day of school. Sacred Heart said Grand was closed in both directions from Friday night, Aug. 21, until early Monday morning, Aug. 24, with access to the campus limited to 16th Street.
One parent picking up students Monday afternoon said arriving early helped make the trip manageable, but expected navigating the area to become more difficult as pickup traffic increased.
City and schools planned for construction during classes
Hemesath said the city knew the work would continue after school began and met with school officials about a month before classes started.
City staff worked with Stilwell administrators and West Des Moines Community Schools transportation officials, along with Sacred Heart leaders, to discuss where vehicles could enter and exit and how drop-off and pickup could operate without interfering with construction.
Hemesath asked families to remain patient while traffic is restricted.
“Exercise patience,” Hemesath said. “They’ll get their kids to school. We’ll do everything we can to help them out.”
Storm sewer work is also part of the project
Much of the visible work is focused on traffic and pedestrian improvements, but another major part of the project is underground.
Crews are installing larger storm sewer pipes beneath Grand Avenue. The city said those improvements were identified in its Southeast Drainage Basin Study completed in 2013.
That drainage work is related to broader stormwater improvements happening nearby. The city is also constructing a regional stormwater detention facility at 12th and Vine, another project first identified in the 2013 study. The city said that facility will help handle future drainage needs north of Grand Avenue while reducing the need for more invasive storm sewer replacement farther south.
Most roadway work scheduled to finish by November
The city engineer’s original construction estimate for the 16th and Grand project was about $1.03 million. City documents show funding was planned from general obligation bonds and stormwater fees.
The city’s contract calls for most of the roadway and underground work to be substantially complete by Nov. 20. Work associated with portions of the pedestrian hybrid beacon and final site restoration can continue until the project’s April 30, 2027, final-completion deadline.
For families, that means several more weeks of navigating construction around the two schools.
But Hemesath said the first day went better than he expected. He watched traffic at 16th and Grand Monday morning and said vehicles were moving smoothly through the altered traffic pattern.
The short-term inconvenience, city officials say, is in exchange for a long-term change intended to give students a safer way across one of the area's busiest roads.
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