Alice's Road One Step Closer Thanks to Land Deals - ABC5 News Des Moines, IA
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Jessica Daley
@TheDaleyReport
Waukee is on track to get a major thoroughfare to Interstate 80 at Alice's Road. Last week the city made agreements with three owners of the land needed to extend Alice's Road to the interstate. The city still needs to strike a deal with two other landowners. City leaders expect that to happen this month.
"It's going to be huge. I can't even tell how big this thing is going to be."
A new interchange on I-80 at Alice's Road and completing Alice's Road from University south to the interstate has been something Waukee Mayor Bill Peard has been working on for more than a decade.
"So to have the rights for these right-a-ways is huge because we can't do the corridor until we have those agreements," Peard said.
The landowners are donating the land to the city for the road. In exchange, the city is paying to build the three-lane road and install the storm sewer and water main. An additional three lanes will be added in a few years.
The project will ease traffic on near-by Jordan Creek Parkway and create an economic boom with 1700 acres of land ready for new development.
"A hotel/motel convention would be a perfect thing right off that interchange," Peard believes.
"Certainly, the likelihood of offices and maybe as we get closer to Ashworth they'll be some retail," said Gerry Neugent of Knapp Properties, which is a main owner of Ashworth Properties Development which has owned some of the land since the 1980's.
He never could have imagined Alice's Road becoming a destination location for businesses. Now though, he wouldn't be surprised if development started within 24 months.
The first three lanes of Alice's Road should be finished around spring 2014 while the interchange will most likely be done later next year.
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