Well there's no way to make that exit worse. The DOT should be ashamed of themselves on that one.
Changes coming for I35/Hwy 30 exit
- Thread starter CYdTracked
- Start date
I think the congestion is mainly caused by people people trying to get to the DSM airport. Definitely not easily accessible.
Those are the scourge of all of mankind. I have to drive through those. I see they put some in Johnston now.
Safe to say when they put the interchange in during the 60's they never envisioned the amount of traffic and higher speeds.
I'm always pleasantly surprised when I drive this stretch how nice the pace of traffic is, even on game days. People are flying back to DSM.
Sometimes it is good but it can also be just awful. I drive it every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. People like to sit in the left hand lane and it just backs everyone up
The problem with this is that by the time you've discovered your urban planning has created these problems in the first place, it's too late to do much about it. Other solutions need to be examined.
If additional lanes didn't make a difference, they would never be built. You cannot continue to funnel more and more traffic down the same inadequate roadways and expect there to not be issues. If you think adding lanes doesn't improve traffic concerns, imagine what traffic would be like had extra lanes NOT been built in rapidly growing areas.
When I lived in Ankeny and worked in Nevada, my days were always much better when I took back County roads to Nevada. Costs me about 5-10 minutes, but well worth it not having to deal with the I-35 morning left lane campers.
Me too but the opposite direction. What the hell is wrong with those people? Are they that oblivious or just that inconsiderate?
This is because people demand it. Read opinions about roundabouts on CF - they are by far more efficient for a certain intersection traffic counts yet aren't always put in because the population screams about them. It's not always a case of doing what's best and shutting out popular opinion.
If places like Ankeny and Ames really wanted to fix this they would stop requiring developers to build in a street hierarchy pattern.
Believe it or not more intersections increases safety. That's a fact. But people want cul-de-sacs and 6 lane roads. That causes traffic problems
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This is great news. I was just reading recently about all the upcoming changes to US 30 between Ames and Nevada and wondered if that intersection would ever get its own rebuild. I just hope the new flyover ramp is 2-lane, though that's probably too much to ask.
As for I-35 itself, I read somewhere where 3-lanes in each direction from DSM to Ames was on the table for discussion. (It sounded like a possibility, not imminent.) I agree that better planning could alleviate the need for more lanes or new roads but IMO that discussion starts after this stretch of interstate goes to 6 lanes. There's so much traffic, and so many trucks, going back and forth between Ames and DSM that I think it justifies it. Plus Ankeny and Ames are both growing and pulling traffic further north.
Currently I-35 moves reasonably well most of the time but as others have mentioned, all it takes is one truck passing another and suddenly traffic backs up for hundreds of yards. And God forbid there's ever an accident, which happens with increasing frequency these days, and it turns into a parking lot because there are so few exits - you're trapped. It probably would help if people started enforcing left lane obliviousness; if I had a dollar for every time I passed in the right lane someone camping out in the left lane cluelessly chatting away on a phone, I could retire tomorow.
As for I-35 itself, I read somewhere where 3-lanes in each direction from DSM to Ames was on the table for discussion. (It sounded like a possibility, not imminent.) I agree that better planning could alleviate the need for more lanes or new roads but IMO that discussion starts after this stretch of interstate goes to 6 lanes. There's so much traffic, and so many trucks, going back and forth between Ames and DSM that I think it justifies it. Plus Ankeny and Ames are both growing and pulling traffic further north.
Currently I-35 moves reasonably well most of the time but as others have mentioned, all it takes is one truck passing another and suddenly traffic backs up for hundreds of yards. And God forbid there's ever an accident, which happens with increasing frequency these days, and it turns into a parking lot because there are so few exits - you're trapped. It probably would help if people started enforcing left lane obliviousness; if I had a dollar for every time I passed in the right lane someone camping out in the left lane cluelessly chatting away on a phone, I could retire tomorow.
I can't imagine being a truck driver during poor conditions and have to merge from northbound I35 onto Westbound 30. Going from 65-25 on that tiny little ramp is awful.
If you're looking for talks about business development - I like to browse the UrbanDSM forums.
It's been pretty helpful when I've been curious about why they're pushing dirt or who's buying tracts of land...
LOVE the roundabouts, much better than another freaking stoplight. People just need to learn how to use them and follow the rules, e.g. yield to cars in the roundabout, otherwise just GO and stay in your lane.
My kids make fun of my old lady driving because if there is much traffic at all, I will either go up to 13th street or bail early at the Huxley exit. Very happy they are changing this.
