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Help us imagine our 2050 TRANSPORTATION FUTURE

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You are part of one of the fastest growing regions in Iowa

As the metro grows, and traffic volumes increase, we need to figure out new ways to meet the needs of safety, traffic flow, sustainability, and accessibility of our system.

Metro area growth is outpacing transportation spending

Des Moines Ares is Growing
Transportation Infrastructure Investments Decreasing

We need your help to plan for our transportation future

As a business community stakeholder and member of the Des Moines metro area, your company/organization, your employees and your customer’s travel experience is important to us.

Next: Learn about the Des Moines ICM Program
Learn about our growing region

About the Des Moines Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) Program

The ICM Program will evaluate future investments to the Des Moines metro's transportation system through the lens of five potential scenarios

As we plan for the future of the transportation system in Des Moines, we are considering a variety of ICM strategies that have been packaged into the Strategy Bundles below:

What is Integrated Corridor Management?

ICM is a way to proactively manage and operate transportation systems in a region. Freeways, arterials, transit, and parking systems within a corridor are treated as a system, rather than individual components, and it is delivered in a more cost-effective manner.

Learn more about ICM

EXPLORE THE STRATEGY BUNDLES

ICM Bundle Corridors

ICM Bundle Corridor map

Aggressive Freeway Build

This bundle of strategies requires considerable freeway widening for future metro growth. Investments on other major area roadways, transit, and the use of technology are secondary to building out the freeway system.

  • A I-35/I-80 would include 2 additional lanes in each direction
  • B Northeast Junction would include a full build out of the interchange
  • C Southwest Junction would include a full build out of the interchange
  • D I-235 would include 1 additional lane in each direction
  • E Arterial capacity would include construction/new build (limited to supporting the freeway)

Intensive Transportation Management

This bundle of strategies focuses on high levels of investment in technology and management of the system. Initially, the system will be optimized to the existing roadway network, but over time the approach will augment management strategies like signal optimization, dynamic shoulder use, ramp metering, and transit signal priority with strategic widening to remove bottlenecks.

  • A I-35/I-80 would not include additional lanes
  • B Northeast Junction would include some new and reconfigured ramp (flyover) construction
  • C Southwest Junction would include some new and reconfigured ramp (flyover) construction
  • DI-235 would not include additional lanes
  • EArterial capacity would include committed street widening projects and funding to address bottlenecks

Transit & Travel Demand Management

This bundle of strategies will focus all investment toward high occupancy vehicles and transit to move more travelers on the existing roadway network more efficiently. Jointly, this bundle will aggressively incentivize demand management strategies to reduce the peak period congestion.

  • A I-35/I-80 would not include additional lanes
  • B Northeast Junction would include projects with committed funding from the 2020-2024 Iowa DOT Highway Program (1/4 of interchange rebuilt)
  • C Southwest Junction would include projects with committed funding from the 2020-2024 Iowa DOT Highway Program (no improvements)
  • D I-235 would not include additional lanes
  • E Arterial capacity would include long-range plan projects that are in the committed portion of the plan and limited additional arterial capacity projects focused on benefitting transit primarily

Balanced

This bundle of strategies will include a balanced approach to technology and new build investments on the arterial and freeway systems.

  • A I-35/I-80 would include 1 additional lane in each direction
  • B Northeast Junction would include some new and reconfigured ramp (flyover) construction
  • C Southwest Junction would include some new and reconfigured ramp (flyover) construction
  • D I-235 would include 1 additional lane in each direction (west side of corridor only)
  • E Arterial capacity would include investments identified in the constrained Long Range Transportation Plan

Targeted Transportation Management

This bundle of strategies will focus on high levels of investment in technology and management of the system with significantly reduced spending on major new infrastructure (freeway widening, arterial widening, and transit capacity).

  • A I-35/I-80 would not include additional lanes
  • B Northeast Junction would include projects with committed funding from the 2020-2024 Iowa DOT Highway Program (1/4 of interchange rebuilt)
  • C Southwest Junction would include projects with committed funding from the 2020-2024 Iowa DOT Highway Program (no improvements)
  • D I-235 would not include additional lanes
  • E Arterial capacity would include only projects with committed funding from the 2019-2023 Iowa DOT Highway Program
Next: Evaluate the bundles as a commuter Go back
Review the bundles again

The ICM Bundles In Context

To better understand each of the Strategy Bundles in context, we’ve created a Commuter Profile to provide a commuter experience under each bundle.

Meet Commuter Chris!

Chris just moved to the Des Moines metro area in the year 2050. She lives in an apartment in West Des Moines and works downtown. She’s trying to evaluate her travel options. She’s heard from neighbors that her part of town allows for a really easy commute, but some options are easier than others based on the metro’s transportation system.

EXPLORE THE STRATEGY BUNDLES AS COMMUTER CHRIS

The metro’s ICM program has deployed an AGGRESSIVE FREEWAY BUILD approach, with the following impact to Chris’s trip:

  • Chris’s work has a rigid schedule, so she times her work trip to be during the peak hour of travel. She’s working a five day work week, so she gets to the office by 8:00 AM and is out the door at 5:00 PM to be home with her family. This is a reflection of limited systems management, not encouraging options to move trips out of peak travel times.

  • She can take her personal vehicle, traveling primarily along I-235. The city street leading to the freeway operates as a string of red lights, but once on the freeway Chris’s neighbors say traffic flows well toward downtown as mobility is moderate. On the worst travel days the corridor reliability can delay Chris’s trip a limited amount causing her to be late for dinner with her family.

  • Chris could also use public transportation or ridesharing. Chris’s workplace is one of the regional locations that has reasonable access to the system (accessibility), though many other neighbors do not have the same option. Chris is not sure she will use public transportation or ridesharing because the transportation system integration/connectivity is focused on freeway travel that does not cover all of her travel needs.

  • In considering her travel throughout the region, Chris feels moderately safe (safety). Safety seems to be pretty heavily focused on the freeway and she has heard city streets have a number of severe crashes.

The metro’s ICM program has deployed an INTENSIVE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT approach, with the following impact to Chris’s trip:

  • Chris’s work offers a flexible schedule, so she times her work trip to be outside of the peak hour of travel. She’s working a four day work week, so she gets to the office by 6:30 AM and is out the door at 5:30 PM to be home with her family. This is a reflection of good systems management, encouraging options to move trips out of peak travel times.

  • She can take her personal vehicle, traveling primarily along I-235. The ramp meters prior to entering the corridor add some delay, but once on the freeway travel provides good mobility. Even on the worst travel days, the corridor reliability is good enough that Chris rarely misses dinner with the family due to delays.

  • Chris could also use public transportation or ridesharing. Chris’s workplace is one of the regional locations that has moderate access to the system (accessibility). Chris is strongly considering using public transportation or ridesharing because the transportation system integration/connectivity is focused on efficient travel modes, so Chris can earn an incentive by forming a rideshare on the fly or grabbing a bus and having a productive commute.

  • In considering her travel throughout the region, Chris feels safe (safety). Recent safety improvements have made an impression on the neighborhood that travel is getting safer; even though reducing crashes still needs to be a key transportation priority.

The metro’s ICM program has deployed a TRANSIT AND TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT approach, with the following impact to Chris’s trip:

  • Chris’s work offers a flexible schedule, so she times her work trip to be outside of the peak hour of travel. She’s working a four day work week, so she gets to the office by 6:30 AM and is out the door at 5:30 PM to be home with her family. This is a reflection of good systems management, encouraging options to move trips out of peak travel times.

  • Chris is looking to use public transportation or ridesharing. Chris’s workplace is one of the many regional locations that has good access to the system (accessibility). Chris is strongly considering using public transportation or ridesharing because the transportation system integration/connectivity is focused on efficient travel modes, so Chris can earn an incentive by forming a rideshare on the fly or grabbing a bus and having a productive commute.

  • She can take her personal vehicle, traveling primarily along I-235. The city street leading to the freeway operates as a string of red lights, and once on the freeway Chris’s neighbors often say they plan for stopped traffic approaching downtown as mobility is poor. On the worst travel days the corridor reliability can delay Chris’s trip enough to cause her to miss dinner with her family.

  • In considering her travel throughout the region, Chris feels safe (safety). Recent safety improvements have made an impression on the neighborhood that travel is getting safer; even though reducing crashes still needs to be a key transportation priority.

The metro’s ICM program has deployed a BALANCED approach, with the following impact to Chris’s trip:

  • Chris’s work offers a flexible schedule, so she times her work trip to be outside of the peak hour of travel. She’s working a four day work week, so she gets to the office by 6:30 AM and is out the door at 5:30 PM to be home with her family. This is a reflection of good systems management, encouraging options to move trips out of peak travel times.

  • She can take her personal vehicle, traveling primarily along I-235. The ramp meters prior to entering the corridor add some delay, but once on the freeway travel provides good mobility. Even on the worst travel days the corridor reliability is rarely delayed enough to be late for dinner with the family.

  • Chris could also use public transportation or ridesharing. Chris’s workplace is one of the regional locations that has moderate access to the system (accessibility). Chris is not sure she will use public transportation or ridesharing because the transportation system integration/connectivity seems more focused on personal vehicle travelers.

  • In considering her travel throughout the region, Chris feels safe (safety). Recent safety improvements have made an impression on the neighborhood that travel is getting safer; even though reducing crashes still needs to be a key transportation priority.

The metro’s ICM program has deployed a TARGETED TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT approach, with the following impact to Chris’s trip:

  • Chris’s work offers a flexible schedule, so she times her work trip to be outside of the peak hour of travel. She’s working a four day work week, so she gets to the office by 6:30 AM and is out the door at 5:30 PM to be home with her family. This is a reflection of good systems management, encouraging options to move trips out of peak travel times.

  • She can take her personal vehicle, traveling primarily along I-235. The ramp meters prior to entering the corridor add some delay, but once on the freeway travel provides good mobility. Even on the worst travel days the corridor reliability is good enough that Chris’s trip is rarely delayed enough to be late for dinner with the family.

  • Chris could also use public transportation or ridesharing. Chris’s workplace is one of the regional locations that has moderate access to the system (accessibility). Chris is strongly considering using public transportation or ridesharing because the transportation system integration/connectivity is focused on efficient travel modes, so Chris can earn an incentive by forming a rideshare on the fly or grabbing a bus and having a productive commute.

  • In considering her travel throughout the region, Chris feels safe (safety). Recent safety improvements have made an impression on the neighborhood that travel is getting safer; even though reducing crashes still needs to be a key transportation priority.

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