DSMInterstates

05/28/2026

The crews have been making progress on removing the old eastbound I-80 bridges over both NE 29th Street and Fourmile Creek as well as the old eastbound pavement between the bridges. Now work begins on constructing the new bridges- you can see them here drilling the shafts for the new bridge at Fourmile Creek- and the new pavement too.

05/07/2026

Construction season is now in full swing! 👷‍♂️🏗️ Here is a rundown of all the 2026 DOT construction projects around the metro that you'll be seeing this year.

🚧 I-80 between the Northeast Mixmaster and US 65- crews are constructing new eastbound lanes where the old ones were located. Traffic has been shifted but there are still 3 travel lanes in each direction. This is year 2 of a 3-year project.

🚧 I-35/80 between Douglas and University Avenues- crews are working on the new pavement and bridges in the middle of the interstate. There is still 3 travel lanes in each direction but traffic has been shifted to the outside lanes to accommodate the work zone. This is year 2 of a 3-year project.

🚧 I-35 between Ankeny and Huxley- crews are working on constructing new northbound lanes. Traffic has been shifted to the west and two lanes of travel are open in each direction. This is the final year of a 3-year project.

🚧 US 69/Ankeny Boulevard- we are finishing up last year's project north of First Street and it should be completed in June. The new project south of First Street will be reconstructing the intersections at SW/SE 3rd and SE Peterson to add turn lanes, and it will improve access and safety in the corridor. Traffic will be down to just one lane in each direction for the duration of the construction period. This is the first year of a 2-year project.

🚧 Southwest Mixmaster I-35/80/235- New flyover bridges will be constructed from southbound I-35/80 to eastbound I-235 and to westbound I-80. The project will also include addition of a lane on eastbound I-235 between 50th Street and Valley West Drive as well as improvements to the ramps at 50th and Valley West Drive. The project will be let and awarded to a contractor in July 2026. You may see some work in the area but traffic will not be impacted until 2027. Construction of this project will last through fall 2029.

🚧IA 28 between the Raccoon River and I-235 and US 69 between Vine and Ovid- these are both pavement rehabilitation projects that will have short-term impacts to traffic this summer while under construction. Traffic will be maintained with at least one lane in each direction.

For more information on the first five projects (the IA 28 and US 69 rehab projects aren't included), you can visit our DSM Interstates website by clicking on this link: https://iowadot.gov/modes-travel/roads-highways/major-construction-projects/des-moines-area-interstate-projects

04/23/2026

It's and our great DOT teams all over Iowa are showing their strong support of DOT and contractor staff whose jobs are in work zones.

Our maintenance staff has been out training this week so if an accident occurs in a work zone, they will be prepared to respond. The exercises simulate different scenarios and then they work through the situation with our law enforcement partners. Hopefully they will never need to do this when in an actual work zone but if they do, they are ready!

04/16/2026

📅DATE CHANGE!

This traffic shift will happen tonight (Thursday 4/16) and not on Monday, April 20th as previously announced. So tomorrow morning all eastbound traffic can expect to be on the new eastbound lanes (aka old westbound lanes).

04/14/2026

Happy National Dolphin Day to all who celebrate! 🐬 The dolphins wanted you to know we have another traffic switch around the metro planned for Monday, April 20th. Eastbound I-80 traffic between the Northeast Mixmaster and US 65 will be shifted over to the old westbound lanes. This traffic switch is expected to last until mid-November while the crews demo the current eastbound lanes and construct four new lanes of travel in their place.

The current eastbound I-80 bridge over NE 29th Street is planned to be demolished beginning the night of April 20th. NE 29th Street will be closed overnight between NE 54th Ave and NE 46th Ave/Broadway Ave. The closures are expected to last 10 days. NE 29th Street will be open to traffic during the daytime hours.

04/13/2026

⛔️ WB I-80 Ramp Closure at Jordan Creek Parkway Starts Tuesday, April 14th ⛔️

Construction work continues on westbound Interstate 80 at the Jordan Creek Parkway interchange (Exit 121). Crews will close the Jordan Creek Parkway north entrance ramp for westbound I-80 (Exit 121) at 5 a.m. on April 14. The closure is expected to last until Oct. 30, 2026. There is also an overnight closure tonight to set everything up. See https://511ia.org for more info on that.

The official detour route if you are traveling north on Jordan Creek Parkway is to continue north to University Avenue, turn left, and travel west until you reach Grand Prairie Parkway. You will turn left onto Grand Prairie Parkway, travel south and take the entrance ramp to reach westbound I-80 (Exit 118). But we all know you guys like to come up with your own detour routes so just keep those maneuvers legal!

Press Release: https://iowadot.gov/news/2026-04-13/closure-jordan-creek-parkway-north-entrance-ramp-westbound-i-80-exit-121-begins-april-14

04/09/2026

UPDATE: The traffic switch is delayed by a few days. The contractor ran out of the glare screen that sits on top of the barrier rails separating the northbound and southbound lanes. They have more coming tomorrow but with the weather, we can’t give you an exact date when the switch will happen though it will still likely be this week

🚧 Our crews are ready to start building the new northbound lanes on I-35 between Ankeny and Huxley! In order for them to tear out the old ones and build the new lanes, all our northbound traffic is going to shift over to the old southbound lanes. This will happen at the north end of Ankeny, just past 36th Street, starting at 8pm on Monday, April 13th.

Unfortunately with this traffic shift, we need to close the northbound on ramp at 36th Street for the entire construction period (through mid-November). The ramp is too close to the crossover and there isn't space to get everyone onto I-35 and shifted over in time so it has to be closed. Please use the entrance ramps at NE 126th Ave or First Street to go north on I-35.

Press release- https://iowadot.gov/news/2026-04-09/closure-northbound-i-35-entrance-ramp-ne-36th-street-interchange-exit-94-ankeny-begins-april-13

04/01/2026

🗣️🎙️Any podcast fans out there? If so, you might enjoy hearing our construction engineer discuss the planning, ex*****on, and safety issues for some of the metro construction projects on the DOT's podcast episode that is out today.

03/31/2026

🚧 Construction Update for North and South Ankeny Boulevard/US 69

The signals on US 69/North Ankeny Boulevard at 5th Street and 11th Street were recently activated on Thursday 3/19/26. The electrical contractor is working to get the signal at the 9th Street intersection functional as well. We still have some work to finish the turn lanes/median at 11th and 9th Streets. 5th Street east of N. Ankeny Blvd will be closed in the next week or two to reconstruct the side road connections and complete the pedestrian elements. The same will also be done at 9th and 11th Streets but those start dates have not yet been determined. Construction on this project is anticipated to wrap up by the end of June.

Utility work has started for our project on South Ankeny Boulevard between 1st Street and SE Peterson Drive. The project will be reconstructing the road with two lanes of travel in each direction with a raised median on Ankeny Boulevard. Turn lanes will be added at 1st Street, South 3rd Street, and SE Peterson Drive and some driveways and access will be modified. There will also be new 5’ sidewalk on the east side and 8’ trail on the west side of Ankeny Blvd. It will primarily be utility work that is done in 2026 and then in 2027 we will move on to stages 2-4. Drivers should expect to only have one lane open in each direction for the remainder of the construction period- avoiding the area and finding an alternate route is HIGHLY encouraged. The work will be completed as shown on these project plans and staging plans.

03/28/2026

🚧 City of Grimes project coming to IA 44/First Street.

Starting next month, we will be making major improvements to the intersection of E Gateway Dr and 1st St. Here's a breakdown of the changes by direction.

Eastbound E 1st St
▪ Turn lane extension
▪ Westbound E 1st St
▪ Extended second lane through the Gateway intersection

E Gateway Dr & 1st St Intersection
▪ Signal upgrade

Southbound E Gateway
▪ Dedicated right turn lane
▪ Dual left turn lanes
▪ Second southbound lane at Heritage Dr

Northbound E Gateway
▪ Dedicated right turn lane
▪ Painted median
▪ Through lane

NE Heritage Dr
▪ Permanent signal

This project will occur in phases to help minimize the disruption. Learn more about the phases and timeline at grimesiowa.gov/egateway.