Reward For Cyclists After Greenbelt Closure

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Cyclists along Clive’s Greenbelt Trail have been putting up with a major disruption because of a big road construction project. But when the heavy equipment clears, riders will receive something in exchange for their troubles.

The Project

The Iowa Department of Transportation is redoing the interchange at Interstate 80/35 and Hickman Road within the city limits of Clive and Urbandale. When it’s finished, the interchange will reemerge as what’s referred to as a “diverging diamond” configuration.

“It’s basically there to help the flow of traffic off the interstate,” said Caleb Wright, transportation engineer associate at the Iowa DOT.

Wright said the metro area’s growth has led to the need for an upgrade at the interchange. He said the layout will closely resemble the interchange at I-35 and E. 1^st St. in Ankeny.

As part of the project, more lanes will also be added to the interstate between University and Douglas avenues.

Room For Riders

While the new interchange has received a lot of attention for how it will impact drivers, Wright said the project will also create more opportunities for cyclists.

“We have a lot of infrastructure going in for trails,” he said.

A new trail will be built along the north side of Hickman in Urbandale. It will begin at the entrance to Life Time Fitness and continue east, where a pedestrian bridge will be built over an off-ramp. On the other side of the bridge, the trail will dip below the interstate into an underpass. It will return aboveground on the other side of the interstate before taking users onto another pedestrian bridge over an on-ramp. The new trail will then continue east along Hickman toward Living History Farms.

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Back on the west side of the I-80/35, another new underpass will be built below Hickman, so cyclists can safely ride between the north and south sides that road.

South of Hickman, that underpass will lead cyclists to a new connection to the Greenbelt Trail. It will be a short quarter-mile route squeezed in between the interstate and Love’s Travel Stop, but Wright said it will really benefit bikers.

“Hopefully it’ll be a little better for everybody, and more access to the trails,” he said.

Completing A Connection

Along with the new connection to the Greenbelt in Clive, the City of Urbandale is adding to its biking and pedestrian infrastructure to complement the new interchange. The city is adding a trail on the north side of Hickman between 100^th and 111^th streets, which will fill in a gap.

Once that trail is complete and the interchange opens, cyclists will be able to ride on a trail or sidewalk the entire length of Hickman through Urbandale, into Waukee and on to the Raccoon River Valley Trail.

Greenbelt Closure

While the interchange will eventually lead to improved biking connectivity in the western suburbs, for now the project is a pain for Greenbelt users. Wright said the current closure and detour – in place since October – was unavoidable.

“We have a lot of construction operations going on in the area, mainly the widening of the Walnut Creek bridge. And with that we have a lot of cranes, a lot of overhead stuff that would be a safety concern,” Wright said.

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Once the Greenbelt is allowed to reopen, its users will have to brace for another disruption. Years of off-and-on construction and closures are on the way for another, unrelated project.

As DSM Bike Notes first told you in January, the Wastewater Reclamation Authority is building a new sewer line along Walnut Creek. Several sections of the Greenbelt are expected to be impacted, though closures and detours would not be as significant as the current one, according to the WRA.

The WRA expects to have a better idea of when and where the trail closures will occur in the coming months.

Key Dates For What’s Next

• Sewer line construction expected to begin in late 2025 and last about five years

• Greenbelt Trail closure expected to last through the end of 2025

• Construction on interchange at I-80/35 and Hickman expected to be done in 2028

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Thanks For Having Me!

I spent part of my Tuesday night doing something I’ve never done before — giving a presentation about DSM Bike Notes! The Lake Country Cyclists were kind enough to invite me to speak at their meeting in Ankeny. It was really fun to talk about doing what I love and being able to share that with people who appreciate my work. They had great questions and even a couple of pretty good story ideas, so thanks for that! I meant to take a picture… but I forgot. If any other group would like to have me give a presentation about DSM Bike Notes, I’m definitely down! Get ahold of me at [email protected].