Ames City Council may take another shot at widening, revamping Grand Avenue
Fifteen years ago, a small group of Ames residents whose properties would have been acquired by the city stopped a $2.3 million project to widen Grand Avenue and 13th Street. Now, the city is looking to revamp the project to address safety issues and expand its efforts to include more intersections.
Details for the project — including whether the city is committed to doing it and what properties may be affected — are still being considered. International design firm HDR prepared a report that City Traffic Engineer Damion Pregitzer presented to the City Council last month.
Like in 2007, Pregitzer recommends widening Grand Avenue and 13th Street. But rather than just one intersection, he proposes projects at intersections from Ninth Street to 24th Street. A shared-use path would run the entire length of Grand Avenue and pedestrian walk lights would either be added or enhanced at each intersection.
The city also could consider extending the plans about a mile further north to Ada Hayden Heritage Park.
After Pregitzer presented the report, City Manager Steve Schainker told City Council members they aren't committing themselves or the city to any construction projects or timelines.
"We are asking you to accept the report," he said.
The report does include timelines and cost estimates, though Schainker said he doesn't know for sure when any of the projects would be built. Work on the 13th Street intersection, for example, could begin in 2024, the report says.
The entire project could cost $5.151 million and be completed by 2029, at the earliest.
"We are putting it in the (Capital Improvements Program budget) right now. I don't know if we are going to do it that year or the year after," Schainker said. "It's a valuable report, but I don't want to be locked into the timing necessarily. Or the cost."
Work on the 13th Street intersection has been in the city's CIP budget since 1993. At that time, it would have cost $600,000. The price today is $3.783 million, Pregitzer said.
What also has changed are the city's priorities for doing the project. In 2007, Pregitzer presented research to show the wait times at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 13th Street were unusually long and inefficient.
The grassroots group CAUTION — Citizens Against Unnecessary Thoroughfares in Old Neighborhoods — used the slogans "Your tax $, our homes," and "$2 million for 2 minutes," in reference to the two-to-three-minute wait time motorists experienced at the intersection.
Today, the Ames City Council and mayor say the changes could help with the city's sustainability goals. Lowering traffic wait times and idling traffic would help the city lower its carbon footprint.
It also would align with its Forward 2045 plan adopted in 2020, which defines how the Ames area will manage and operate its multi-modal transportation system, which includes public transportation, drivers, bicycles and pedestrians.
And the city is focused on reducing the number of traffic accidents along Grand Avenue. The Iowa Department of Transportation has rated most intersections along Grand Avenue between Ninth and 24th streets as Tier 1, its most dangerous rating.
Here's a look at the proposed projects:
Ninth Street
The DOT has rated the Ninth Street intersections as Tier 2, meaning it isn’t as dangerous as others along the corridor.
From 2015-2019 the intersection had a total of 13 crashes. Of those, six were injury crashes and seven had property damage. There were no pedestrian accidents.
The report recommends spending $80,500 to add the shared-use path and pedestrian signals.
13th Street
This intersection has the most traffic. There were 45 crashes in the five-year period, 10 of which were injury crashes and 35 resulted in property damage. Two involved pedestrians.
With a $3.8 million price tag, the project would add a left turn lane in all directions and new traffic signals. Both Grand Avenue and 13th Street would be widened for the new turning lanes.
The report says work at this intersection could reduce crashes by about 25%.
16th Street
This intersection had 20 total crashes, including eight injury and 12 property damage. There also is heavy traffic at times, causing delays, the report said.
Work at this intersection could perhaps create the greatest change, with a raised concrete divider proposed along Grand Avenue. The divider would prevent east/west movement across Grand.
This intersection drew the most public disapproval at a meeting in April, according to the report. Residents said there’s a need to move across Grand Avenue to avoid traffic at 13th and 20th streets. It also would prevent bicyclists and pedestrians from crossing the street, the public said.
At the council meeting, Mayor John Haila pointed out that this intersection sees high school students going to and from school.
"You're probably going to have people turning at 15th ... and zigzag around to get to the school from the south side of town,” he said. “Boy, that seems like something that is going to warrant a lot of study and unintended consequences as people find shortcuts."
While Pregitzer agreed, he reminded the council these are only concepts that would require more study. He also said the roadways in the city operate as a system — as intersections at 13th and 20th streets improve, it could take some traffic pressure off the 16th Street interchange.
The cost would be about $62,100.
20th Street
There were 28 crashes at this intersection, eight with an injury and 20 with property damage. Pregitzer said 90% on the crashes were from cars turning from Grand Avenue onto 20th Street.
"It seems like the speed limit along Grand Avenue might have something to do with that," Council member Gloria Betcher said. Because it’s a highway, the DOT sets the speed limit on Grand Avenue, not the city.
Improvements would cost $535,000 and could include adding left turn lanes on Grand Avenue and repainting 20th Street to create a left turn lane.
24th Street
Also rated a Tier 2 intersection, there were 29 crashes here. Ten involved injuries and 19 had property damage.
The report recommends $690,000 of work that includes adding a new traffic signal, restriping the pavement on 24th Street to allow for a turn lane and decreasing a corner turning radius.
Will properties be removed to accommodate the projects?
Pregitzer said it isn't clear how many properties would be affected by construction until the detailed design phase.
But he said three properties would be acquired by the city as it moves forward to redesign the 13th Street intersection. They include the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 1303 Grand Ave., a duplex behind the church at 1302 and 1304 Harding Ave., and a home at 1314 Grand Ave.
As of now, there are no plans at this time to move forward with additional design work.
In 2007, the plans called for the city to acquire eight properties through eminent domain including private homes and the Seventh Day Adventist Church. An additional 37 residential properties would have lost frontage property.
Pregitzer said at the time, his department had shown the council the "worst case scenario" project with the most impact possible to area homes.
"And then, we had hoped, if we had moved beyond this initial step, we would have pared down the design. But it didn't. So one of the lessons we retained from that process was we need to start with the lowest design impact possible," he said.
After community protests, the plan in 2007 changed to just one private property. Others would have remained standing but would have been out of compliance with city setbacks.
Teresa Kay Albertson covers politics, crime, courts and local government in Ames and central Iowa for the Ames Tribune and Des Moines Register. Reach her on Twitter @TeresaAlberts11 and at talbertson@registermedia.com, 515-419-6098.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ames considers widening, revamping Grand Avenue, some intersections
