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City of Des Moines
Transportation Gateway Project
Project Update: April 7, 2009
NOTICE - Public Open House: An open house has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 5 to 8 pm in the Des Moines Senior Activity Center, 2045 S. 216th St. The intent of the open house, the first of two planned this spring, is to offer citizens an opportunity to review of development plans in the area, understand the related transportation issues, as well as engage in meaningful dialog to about designing the project.
The Transportation Gateway Project entails upgrading two City arterials: S. 216th St between I-5 and 19th and 24th Avenue S. north of S. 216th St, serving transportation network needs for planned development of jobs and housing in Des Moines. Successful growth in Des Moines for jobs and housing depends on providing transportation network to meet travel needs.
- New development in Des Moines highlights the need for roadway upgrades – converting from rural to urban standards and provide for growth.
- Both 24th Avenue South and South 216th Street arterials must be widened to accommodate the growth planned for the North Central and Pacific Ridge Neighborhoods – to generate new jobs, retail and business opportunities.
- Approximately 1.3 miles of new urban five to six lane arterial must be constructed to welcome these four planned developments in Des Moines.
Development Activity :
Examples of current and future development activity planned in the vicinity of the project are illustrated below.
Three major developments are planned in Des Moines North Central and Pacific Ridge Neighborhoods – Des Moines Creek Business Park, Waterview Crossing and other retail development - adding 1.1 million square feet of business park, 450,000 square feet of retail center, and 1600 units of senior housing. In addition, adjacent property in the City of SeaTac recently added approximately 250,000 square feet of warehousing to the area with direct access to the City of Des Moines road network. Eventually, these projects will add 2,200 to 3,300 jobs in the area, including 1,200 to 2,100 family-wage jobs. The Business Park Development will add 90 acres of business park development to the tax rolls. The three developments would generate over 35,000 daily vehicle trips – a substantial increase in traffic for the Des Moines North Central and Pacific Ridge vicinity.
The City has already vacated internal right of way, surplused deeded streets and vacated underlying plats and subdivisions in preparation for the Des Moines Creek Business Park. A PUD application and development permits for the Des Moines Creek Business Park are expected to be received later this year
Regional Transportation System:
The next two years will also see a substantial investment in transit service and ability to move people effectively into and through Des Moines with the Sound Transit Light Rail to the Airport by 2009 and King County Metro Rapid Ride on SR 99 in 2010. In November, 2008, voters also approved an extension of light rail from the Airport, thru the City of Des Moines, which will entail planning and design of rail facilities in the project area.. It will take all modes of transportation to meet the collective travel needs in the Des Moines Gateway neighborhood and the Gateway project will set the stage for meeting the transportation demand.
Collaborative efforts between WSDOT, the City of Des Moines and the City of Seatac are expected to result in a continuous roadway along the 24th/28th Street corridor between S. 216th St and S. 200th St. with a link to proposed extension of SR 509 to I-5. The SR 509 and 24th/28th Avenue S. extension is important for the long term connections to the regional transportation network and ultimate development of the Des Moines Creek Business Park.
Project Improvements:
The proposed Gateway project is absolutely critical for initial phases of the Des Moines Creek Business Park, the North City area as well as renovation of the Pacific Ridge Neighborhood area. Short term realities for the City of Des Moines involve arterial improvements on both S. 216th Street and 24th Avenue S. to accommodate increased travel demand. Capacity improvements and upgrades to urban arterial standards include additional travel and turn lanes, signalization, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, landscaping, as well as transit stop and bicycle lane improvements where appropriate. Need for these capacity improvements has been documented in the update to the City of Des Moines Comprehensive Transportation Plan, including the S. 216th Corridor Study.
Necessary roadway capacity improvements are illustrated below:
Civil Engineering Services & Schedule:
The adopted 2009 Capital Improvement Plan programmed the start of engineering to upgrade S. 216th St and 24th Avenue S. After review of qualifications from several firms, the City selected KPG, Inc on March 26, 2009, to begin design on these two roadways. Field survey crews are now at work establishing base map information to be used during design.
Alternatives will be evaluated this spring with selection of a final alignment and roadway design concept by mid summer. A design report will be prepared in the fall detailing the project scope which will guide the project through preparation of final contract documents.
Funding:
The engineering work is funded, in part with a loan from the Washington State Public Works Trust Board as well as development fees and arterial road funds as approved in the City’s Capital Improvement Program. As design progresses over the next 18 months the City is actively seeking additional funding for right of way and construction. Development will contribute a fair share to the improvements on South 216th Street and 24th Avenue South, through frontage improvements, utility undergrounding and off-site mitigation.
Questions?
Persons with questions or comments are urged to contact the Len Madsen, Project Manager at gatewayinfo@desmoineswa.gov.
Gateway Web Archives:
Update: April 1, 2009
Update: February 6, 2009
Update: January 19, 2009
