Des Moines offers $150K incentive to speed up Ingersoll Ave rebuild
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Reconstruction along Ingersoll Avenue is an inconvenience but the final product will be worth it because "the street was a mess," Andy Snyder, owner of Andy's Frame Shop, told Axios. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios
Des Moines is offering $150,000 to incentivize contractors reconstructing the Ingersoll Avenue streetscape to complete the project early, a spokesperson for the city manager's office tells Axios.
Driving the news: Crews started the nearly $5.3 million third phase of the rebuild project about a week ago.
- The city is hoping its offer will motivate contractors to complete the work by late this year, well ahead of its anticipated summer 2023 completion.
Why it matters: Ingersoll is a busy commercial and residential district.
- Thousands of people are being inconvenienced and dozens of businesses are facing hurdles linked with the multi-year project.
Catch up fast: The rebuild, which launched in 2020, includes street, sidewalk and sewer improvements from Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to 42nd Street.
- This year's construction focuses on streetscape improvements along Ingersoll's south side between MLK and 28th Street.
What they're saying: One-way traffic will be necessary during some later construction stages this year and it "won't be popular," Scott Almeida, an engineer working on the project, said in a February public update meeting.
How it works: Des Moines will only pay the $150,000 incentive if the work, excluding landscaping, is done by Dec. 2.
Of note: Ingersoll will also undergo sewer or streetscape work between 35th and 41st this year, but those pieces are not part of the early-finish incentive.
What's ahead: A fourth and final stage is planned for 2024.
