From 1000 Friends of Iowa
Central Iowa Update
Dear Friends,
As the price of gas continues to reach record highs, and flooding causes
Iowans to question the way we build our communities, Polk County leaders are
prepared to unveil the progress on two road studies: the Northeast Polk
County Beltway and the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Extension/ NW 26th
Street Interchange.
Two public input meetings are happening in the near future: one on the NE
Polk County Beltway this Thursday, July 10, and another on the MLK/NW 26th
St. project next Thursday July 17.
Thursday, July 10 - Northeast Polk County Beltway
Thursday, July 17 - NW 26th Street Interchange and MLK Extension
These proposed road projects would
o Provide infrastructure for further development in the last quiet, rural
expanses of Polk County
o Place more pavement to funnel stormwater to creeks and rivers, like the
Des Moines River
o Invest taxpayer dollars in an expanded highway system that may not be
utilized as much as projected while gas prices continue to climb
o Threaten prime farmland that may have a better and higher use as food
prices also continue to climb
o Threaten natural areas and wildlife
o Drain money from much-needed repair projects for existing neighborhood
streets and flood-damaged roads across the state.
We encourage you to attend the upcoming meetings, email comments to the
addresses listed at the end of this email, and/or write a letter to the
editor. Voices for common sense are needed now more than ever.
Please join other Des Moines metro area residents in the long-term
commitment to create more sustainable communities for future generations.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Weisenbach
1000 Friends of Iowa
Thursday, July 10 - Northeast Polk County Beltway
4:30 - 6:30 PM
Snyder & Associates, Inc.
2727 SW Snyder Blvd
Ankeny, IA 50023
The Northeast Polk County Beltway is a proposed traffic corridor around the
northeast side of the metro area. The proposed beltway would extend from
Altoona at I-80 north to the edge of the city of Elkhart (or possibly much
farther north), west to the Polk City area, and then south to IA 141/IA 415.
This will be an open house format and held by Snyder and Associates, the
engineering firm doing the study for Polk County. This will be a meeting to
provide an update on the study and collect input on proposed alternative
locations for the beltway. This is a part of the Environmental Impact
Statement, a federally required evaluation for a project that has extensive
environmental impacts.
Thursday, July 17 - NW 26th Street Interchange and MLK Extension
4:30 - 6:30 PM
Snyder & Associates, Inc.
2727 SW Snyder Blvd
Ankeny, IA 50023
Polk County and other leaders are now calling this project the "NW 26th
Street Corridor."
This proposal consists of:
o Reconstruction of NW 26th Street to a 4-lane facility between IA 415 and
I 35/80,
o Construction of a new interchange at I-35/80 and NW 26th Street, and
o Construction of a new four-lane roadway on new alignment from near Euclid
Ave/U.S. 6 and MLK Jr Parkway and the proposed NW 26th St interchange
(through the heart of the Des Moines River Recreational Greenbelt.)
This will be an open house with some audio/visual presentations, and held by
Snyder and Associates, the engineering firm doing the study for Polk County.
This will be a meeting to provide an update on the study and collect input
on proposed alternative locations for the project, including possible
expansion of existing streets in Des Moines like Beaver Avenue and 6th
Avenue. This is a part of the Environmental Impact Statement, a federally
required evaluation for a project that has extensive environmental impacts.
How to Get There & What to Do
Both of these meetings will be held at Snyder and Associates' office in
Ankeny. For a map to the Snyder & Associates office, visit
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Ankeny&state=IA&address=2727+SW+Snyder+Blvd
For both projects, you will see maps of proposed alternatives and other
information.
You'll be asked to choose which alternative location you prefer. Make sure
to put your comments in writing at the meeting, using the forms provided. If
you purely give verbal comments to the consultants, there is no assurance
that your views will be captured and conveyed to Polk County leaders and the
Federal Highway Administration.
You should also be sure to sign in, so there is proof of the people who
attended. If you sign in, you will NOT automatically be put on the mailing
list for the project. If you aren't receiving mail notices about the road
project and you want to, then you should make a point to ask consultants to
put you on the mailing list.
You also might consider recommending better locations for public input
meetings on these projects than the Snyder & Associates office. In the past,
these consultants have traveled to community-based locations like the
American Legion Hall in Bondurant, the Elkhart Community Center, and the
Senior Center at Park Fair Mall. If there is a place that is more
comfortable and conveniant for you, put it in your written comments.
Email your comments to:
Jamie Tunnel at Snyder and Associates
[log in to unmask]
Polk County Board of Supervisors
[log in to unmask]
Thanks to Stephanie Weisenbach for this notice.
Forwarded by Jane Clark
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