The City of Ankeny has conveyed to numerous persons that the NE 18th Street overpass will primarily be used to relieve traffic during 1st Street construction.  Traffic will be detoured through Frisk Drive a local road with blind curves, no shoulders and steep embankments. This is clearly dangerous. The city seems to think spending millions of dollars, nearly as much as the 1st Street construction itself, to temporarily route traffic down a local road with limited traffic handling capabilities is a good idea.  Once the 1st Street project is done the overpass will provide little traffic relief.  The city should be concentrating on the 36th Street interchange since it will provide permanent traffic relief and act as a reliever during 1st Street construction.  This would also be consistent with the current practice of placing interchanges at 2 mile intervals.  The City of Ankeny claims that the NE 18th overpasses purpose has nothing to do with the Deer Creek Estates LLC land development.  This seems unlikely:

The following was taken from the The NE 18 Street feasibility study that was paid for and authorized by the Ankeny City Council.

II. TRAFFIC

The proposed NE 18 Street extension across Interstate 35 would primarily serve expected
residential development east of Interstate 35.

There is no mention of using the NE 18th Street overpass as a reliever during 1st Street construction in the feasibly study.

Just a few facts about the proposed NE 18th Street overpass:

1) A portion of the proposed overpass as well as the road and bridge that crosses Four Mile Creek do not lie within the City of Ankeny.  There is very little traffic in the area.  The road the overpass leads into (NE 102nd Ave.) turns into a gravel road in less than a mile. Click here for a web page that will take you on a visual tour of the area.

2) Ankeny is attempting to use Iowa Clean Air Attainment (ICAAP) money to fund the overpass even though it does not appear to meet the necessary requirements to receive this money.

3) The overpass goes directly through a federally recognized wetland and fills in flood plain directly downstream from the area that houses were flooded just a few years ago. This will of course aggravate the situation.  There are numerous examples in which Ankeny and Polk county would be violating their own comprehensive plans if the overpass project were to proceed. The arguments against the NE 18th Street overpass document discusses this and other matters extensively.

Should the taxpayer be expected to spend millions of dollars to construct an overpass to relieve traffic for a temporary construction project?  Does it seem appropriate to endanger citizens by detouring traffic down Frisk Drive during 1st Street construction?
 

Currently there is little traffic in the area of the proposed NE 18th Street overpass. How will this clean Iowa's air?  Is it appropriate to use ICAAP (Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program) money for the NE 18th Street overpass?  The City of Ankeny should concentrate on the 36th Street interchange.  This would permanently relieve traffic at 1st Street.
 

Proposed overpass on the west side of I-35

Proposed overpass on the east side of I-35

* If you find any inaccuracies please notify me through the contacts menu under Ankeny Watch