Windsor Heights proposes major 73rd Street renovations
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Evidence of pedestrians using 73rd Street, despite a lack of sidewalks. Photos: Courtesy of city of Windsor Heights
Windsor Heights wants to revamp 73rd Street between University Avenue and Central Street and make parts of it more pedestrian-friendly.
Why it matters: The Walnut Creek YMCA and a Walmart are off 73rd, plus Dowling is connected by a nearby road.
- But there's no sidewalk for pedestrians along the most dangerous crossings on this stretch, like the I-235 interchange and the railroad, Windsor Heights Mayor Mike Jones tells Axios.
Driving the news: City officials are applying for a $14 million federal grant this month to reconstruct the street and add a sidewalk on the east side from Center Street to Buffalo Road.
State of play: The road's curve along the railroad is too sharp for the current speed limit of 35mph and needs to be realigned, according to a city report.
- It's also too sharp for drivers coming off the interstate on to 73rd Street.
Zoom in: The loop ramps connecting 73rd Street with I-235 would be realigned, with the westbound off-ramps realigned to the stop lights.
- The design would make room for an eight-foot sidewalk.
- The weaving lane would convert into a new eight-foot sidewalk.
What they're saying: Dirt paths in the grass along the street indicate people are already walking alongside the corridor, Jones says.
- It connects WDM and Windsor Heights, as well as several WDM apartment complexes to shopping complexes.
- The DART stop near Walmart is also the most used outside downtown Des Moines, Jones says.
- "Right now you have an extremely unsafe environment for pedestrians to travel between our two cities," he says.
Between the lines: WDM and Windsor Heights have tried since 2000 to create better pedestrian access between the two cities, but have struggled because the railroad owns the majority of property around this stretch.
- Reconfiguring the current roadway would give Windsor Heights more room to create a sidewalk without dealing with the railroad.
