Roundabouts proposed for Des Moines' Southwest Ninth Street
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The intersection at Bancroft Street near MacRae Park is one of two where roundabouts along Southwest Ninth Street are proposed. Photo: Google Maps
Des Moines is considering its most significant overhaul of southwest Ninth Street in decades — including two roundabouts and a direct sidewalk connection across the Raccoon River to finally link neighborhoods with downtown.
Why it matters: It's one of the south side's busiest and most crash-prone streets.
- The proposal comes as recent improvements to MacRae Park and the construction of hundreds of new apartments in the adjacent Gray's Landing neighborhood are driving more foot traffic.
Driving the news: The DSM City Council this week authorized an agreement with the Iowa DOT covering $1.5 million of a $10 million Southwest Ninth Street bridge rehabilitation project over the Raccoon River.
- In addition to structural repairs, the bridge is being reviewed to determine if its deck can be altered to accommodate a protected sidewalk.
The intrigue: The sidewalk currently ends mid-bridge, dumping pedestrians onto a staircase and leaving no direct, accessible route into the downtown corridor.
Flashback: Des Moines has wrestled with improving the corridor for years, with a 2014 study noting its trouble with vacant or blighted properties, narrow right-of-way and traffic congestion.
- Revitalization could enhance the area's role as the "Southside's Main Street" and better serve attractions downtown, it found.
The latest: The city completed a traffic study last year along a roughly 3.5-mile stretch of the street from Dart Way near downtown to McKinley Avenue — an area that is adjacent to Lincoln High School and Park Avenue Elementary.
- Over 500 crashes, 12 serious injuries and three fatalities were recorded there between 2019 and 2023, according to the study.
Zoom in: The study recommends adding roundabouts at the intersections of Bancroft Street and Bell Avenue.
- Those projects are included in budget documents that the City Council will vote on in the coming weeks, with anticipated construction in the fiscal years starting in July 2028 and 2030, respectively.
Yes, but: The timing of the roundabout projects is now uncertain after the city recently learned that a federal grant was not awarded to them, city engineer Steve Naber tells Axios.
What they're saying: Alec Davis of Momentum DSM and Luke Hoffman of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition — groups that advocate for safer streets — tell Axios that they'd also like to see the city reduce the number of traffic lanes in the corridor.
- Ideally, Southwest Ninth would resemble the ongoing transformation along Ingersoll Avenue, Hoffman said.
What's next: Construction on the Southwest Ninth bridge is expected to begin in the fall of 2027.