Alice's Road Corridor

Alice's Road Corridor has been identified as a top economic development priority for the community. The corridor offers more than 1,300 acres of land for immediate development and also access to a future Interstate 80 Interchange and the longest north-south transportation corridor in the western Des Moines Metropolitan area.

The Alice's Road Corridor Plan was adopted in 2004 and offers some insight as to the plans for land use and infrastructure projects in the area. The corridor offers an opportunity for the City of Waukee to invest in the economic sustainability in the region and also open opportunities for new industry and high quality job creation.  The City of Waukee is in the process of creating a detailed master plan for the Alice's Road Corridor.  The City has hired the consulting firm of Hoisington Koegler Group Inc. to facilitate the planning process for the master plan.  This master plan project is intended to expand upon previous planning efforts and take planning to the next level of detail.  Additional information on the status of this project is available at www.alicesroad.com.

Funding for the Alice's Road Corridor  

OCTOBER 11, 2011:

Waukee, IA - The Iowa Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday the award of a RISE Grant in the amount of $5.29 million for the City of Waukee's Alice's Road Corridor.

Mayor Bill Peard stated, "Through careful planning, initiative, dedication and vision, the Alice's Road Corridor will become a premier corridor for economic development in the near future within the Des Moines Metropolitan Area. Approval of the RISE Grant for this important Corridor will allow the City to move a very significant component of the key infrastructure forward in recognizing the vision and dedication that has been put into this project."

The RISE Program which stands for Revitalize Iowa's Sound Economy was created in 1985 to promote economic development in Iowa through the establishment, construction, improvement, and maintenance of roads and streets that promote economic development in the state by improving or maintaining highway access.

The City's application was evaluated on development potential, economic impact, local commitment and initiative, transportation need and area economic need. The RISE Grant will go towards the cost of construction of three of the eventual six lanes of Alice's Road between University Avenue and Ashworth Road. The total cost of the project is estimated at $10.4 million and construction is anticipated to begin in 2012.

LONG-TERM FUNDING:

The Cities of Waukee and West Des Moines work jointly to bring National, State, and Local attention to the Alice's Road Corridor. Representatives from both Cities go to Washington, D.C. twice a year in a joint effort to request federal funding to help offset the costs of transportation infrastructure in the State's fastest growing county. The cities have been very successful in proving to our Congressman that this area is an excellent place for investment as both cities work diligently to show efficient and effective uses of funding. In 2009, the representatives used these plans to show our Congressman the on-going projects in the corrdior. In 2010, the Waukee and West Des Moines representatives were pleased to update the Congressman on the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge and Connecting Roads project and the next projects to be completed in the corridor.

Waukee City Officials traveled to Washington, DC in 2011 to discuss changes in federal funding and also promote the Alice's Road Corridor. For a short briefing of the trip, please click here.

Project Summary and Highlights

September 23, 2011. Here is a link to the latest status of the Interchange Approval: WHO TV Interview 

In 2009, the City of Waukee in collaboration with the City of West Des Moines began construction of the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge and Connecting Roads Project. This project has received $10 million dollars in federal funding over the last several years and will be the first of many projects to be completed. The bridge was completed in 2010 and the proposed interchange and connecting roads are the next projects slated for construction.

Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge and Connecting Roads
Waukee and West Des Moines have been involved in a joint project for several years consisting of a six lane bridge over Interstate 80 along with connecting roads to Ashworth Road (Waukee) and Wendover Road (West Des Moines). Completion of the bridge and future interchange will open a major north-south transportation corridor in the western Des Moines Metropolitan area.

Click here for bridge renderings and design for the completed project.

Alice's Road/105th Street Interchange (proposed) and Connecting Roads
The Cities of Waukee and West Des Moines are proposing an interchange be built in conjunction with the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge to give access to Alice's Road Corridor and north-south transportation corridor. This interchange could alleviate traffic from Jordan Creek Parkway exit as well as the R-22 exit. Click here for a picture of the proposed interchange alignment.

Alice's Road Extension-Ashworth Road to University Avenue
This project entails the construction of a six-lane arterial boulevard with additional left and right turn lanes, storm sewer improvements and water main construction. This road extension will connect with the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge and proposed future interchange and open a north-south transportation corridor as an alternative to existing western corridors to alleviate traffic congestion and improve transportation

Fox Creek/Alice's Road Sanitary Trunk Sewer (Phase 1 and 2)                                                                                 The Fox Creek/Alice's Road Sanitary Trunk Sewer project will create sanitary sewer capacity for approximately 960acres of the 1,300 acres within the Alice's Road Corridor. The remaining 340 acres will be serviced by the existing sanitary sewer infrastructure within the City of Waukee. The Fox Creek/Alice's Road will be a part of the much larger Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA) which services the majority of the Des Moines Metropolitan Area. The City of Waukee invested in the WRA in 2006 as a cost effective avenue to expand capacity for development.

 Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge and Connecting Roads Cuts the Ribbon!

The Cities of Waukee and West Des Moines were pleased to cut the ribbon on the Allice's Road/105th Street Bridge and Connecting Roads project on July 6, 2010. The City officials were joined by the instrumental Congressmen Latham and Boswell. The two cities will continue to work jointly to secure funding for some of the remaining transportation infrastructure improvements to the Alice's Road/105th Street Corridor.

 

Pictured are representatives from the Cities of Waukee, West Des Moines, along with our Congressional Representatives Latham and Boswell at the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge and Connecting Roads Ribbon Cutting.

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured to the right are West Des Moines Mayor Steve Gaer, Congressman Latham, and Congressman Boswell after Waukee Mayor Peard presented a framed picture of the completed bridgeto Congressman Latham.

 

 

 

 

 

Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge Project Breaks Ground!     

 

The communities of Waukee and West Des Moines hosted a small groundbreaking ceremony on July 2, 2009 to commemorate several years of hard work and support from our Representatives.

Partnerships amongst both cities, along with our Representatives, have made this project possible. United States Congressman Tom Latham was in attendance along with representatives from the offices of Senator Harkin, Congressman Boswell, Dallas County Board of Supervisors, and Senator Jerry Behn.

Representatives from the Dallas County Alliance, Waukee Area Economic Development, Waukee Chamber of Commerce, and Des Moines Partnership were also in attendance.                                                                                  

                                                                            

Congressman Latham was presented a key to the City of Waukee to thank him for his support and dedication to our community. He and his staff have worked with both communities on several projects within the Alice's Road/105th Street Corridor for several years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congressman Latham and Waukee Mayor and Council members break ground at the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge project on July 2, 2009. The project is the first phase of the Alice's Road Corridor development and is scheduled for completion in December 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

Congressman Latham; Iowa State Senator Jerry Behn; Dallas County Board of Supervisors Mark Hanson and Bob Ockerman; Waukee Mayor, Council, and Staff; and West Des Moines Mayor, Council, and Staff gather at the Alice's Road/105th Street Bridge Groundbreaking on July 2, 2009.