This page of photos deals specifically with Interstate 235, which underwent a major reconstruction project that began in 2002 and was finished by the end of 2007. Photos of the West and East Mixmasters can be found on the main photo page.
At Euclid and Guthrie Avenues
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This distance sign accompanied the first big green sign (BGS) for westbound I-235 in this 2001 photo. Before reconstruction began, most of I-235's exits were not numbered, as this example shows. After the ramp to East University Avenue eastbound closed in 2002 as a result of the I-235 reconstruction, the second line on the distance sign was removed. In early 2006, the entire sign bridge was removed.
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The replacement gantry was put up in the fall of 2006. Distance signs for the next three interchanges are now posted with the advance BGS, while Euclid Avenue was given an exit number: Exit 12. Grand View College, which previously had a secondary sign, is now on the main sign.
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On April 2, 2008, the speed limit on two segments of I-235 outside of the downtown area was raised from 55 to 60 MPH. This sign is north of Euclid Avenue as the speed limit is about to drop from 65 to 60. While the new diamond speed zone signs (which replaced the old white "SPEED ZONE AHEAD" signs) can be found in some Iowa cities, particularly Cedar Rapids, this was the first sighting of such a sign on a state-maintained highway.
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Advance signage for Euclid on eastbound I-235, which also includes the first advance sign for I-35/80.
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A new "fork" sign for the upcoming East Mixmaster interchange was placed at the Euclid overpass in late 2007.
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Green signs are used instead of sign assemblies along Guthrie Avenue at I-235.
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At Easton Boulevard and University Avenue
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A diamond interchange was built at Easton Boulevard when I-235 was built, but I-235 was built at-grade so Easton Boulevard was split into two segments. As part of the reconstruction, an overpass was built to carry I-235 and the two parts of Easton were rejoined in a project that was completed in August 2005. The only ramps that were retained are the ramps to and from eastbound I-235. This view is looking east.
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Advance signage for I-235 on eastbound Easton at the intersection with East 21st Street/Delaware Avenue. Traffic on eastbound I-235 has to use Easton to access westbound University Avenue, as the ramp from eastbound I-235 merges directly into eastbound University. Similarly, traffic on Easton must follow East 21st to University to access westbound I-235.
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Signage for Easton Boulevard from eastbound I-235. As stated earlier, this is how traffic can access westbound University Avenue.
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Signs on eastbound University Avenue at Dixon Street, directing traffic for westbound I-235 to Dixon and then to Easton Boulevard.
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This gantry was on westbound I-235 approaching University Avenue in 2002. The sign on the left was an older sign that features a non-reflective green background and "button copy" print (i.e., text with reflective "buttons"). You can also make out a couple of brighter green spots on either side of the US 69 shield, if you look hard enough — when
US 65 went through Des Moines, US 65 and 69 shields occupied those two spots. These signs were taken down in late 2004.
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The replacement sign gantry is photographed here. One thing to note: During the spring and summer of 2006, eastbound traffic toward East 6th/Penn and downtown had to exit at East 14th Street and use a temporary connector road — the collector/distributor roads at the East 6th/Penn exit and the right lanes of the Des Moines River bridge — to access downtown.
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These old button copy signs, shown in daytime and nighttime views, were on westbound University Avenue (IA 163) at the I-235 overpass. Also note that IA 163 was not posted on the "E University" sign. And "Freeway" as a control city on I-235? The I-235 sign was taken down in December 2004 when the on-ramp to westbound I-235 was closed for reconstruction, while the other sign was taken down by February 2005 as the overpass that the signs were mounted on was removed. (Daytime photo by Jeff Morrison)
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View of the ramp from westbound IA 163 to westbound I-235 in March 2007. Note that the left exit was removed as a result of the reconstruction as traffic now exits from the right lane.
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Interstate highway trailblazers like this one on University Avenue east of
I-235 aren't uncommon in Iowa, but look right below it — there is a US 163
marker above the mile marker! This would have been true in the 1930s, but not
anymore.
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At East 14th/15th Streets
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Button-copy print and the ghosts of the US 65/69 multiplex are also present in the sign on
the right in this photo. (They're also visible in the advance BGS for this exit on westbound
I-235.) The sign on the left used to be the advance
BGS for the East 6th Street/Penn(sylvania) Avenue interchange, but it was completely stripped
when the interchange was reconstructed in 2003. Although the interchange has since reopened,
the sign was still blank when this photo was taken in mid-2004; the whole gantry was removed late in the year because of construction. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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Its replacement gantry was put up in December 2005, shortly before the new off-ramp opened on December 28. The off-ramp was lengthened considerably, as it starts at the University Avenue underpass now, and the on-ramp from University now passes over this off-ramp. The exit was also numbered Exit 9, which was the highest posted exit number before the remaining exits were numbered in the spring of 2006. The Iowa State Capitol building is visible in the background.
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View of I-235 looking east from East 14th Street in May 2008.
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And here's a view of I-235 looking west from East 14th Street in May 2008.
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View of I-235 looking east from the Edna Griffin Memorial Bridge in May 2008. The East 14th/15th off-ramp is located before the East 6th Street overpass, and the off-ramp merges into a collector/distributor road system that serves East 6th, Penn, East 14th, and East 15th. (A similar C/D system exists for westbound traffic at this interchange.)
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These overhead signs directing traffic to I-235 and to US 69 were put up on the eastbound collector/distributor road in April 2008. Similar signs are present for the westbound C/D roads for East 6th and Penn Avenue.
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View of I-235 looking east from the shoulder of the Des Moines River bridge in May 2008. The East 6th/Penn and East 14th/East 15th ramps each have their own exit-only lanes.
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Downtown
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Advance signage for the downtown exit from westbound I-235, which was put up in mid-2006. Before reconstruction, the sign listed 3rd Street and 5th Avenue, but now the sign lists "Downtown Des Moines" instead. After exiting I-235, the off-ramp immediately splits into a separate ramp that merges into 3rd Street and a ramp that intersects 5th Avenue, 6th Avenue, and 7th Street.
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A blue arch showed up on I-235 east of downtown during the summer of 2003, and on January 15, 2004, the Edna M. Griffin Memorial Bridge over I-235 was dedicated. The pedestrian bridge was named in honor of a local civil rights pioneer. (Coverage of the opening ceremony is available on i-235.com.)
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View of I-235 looking east from the Edna M. Griffin Bridge toward the Des Moines River bridge and the downtown exit in May 2008.
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These new overhead signs were put up in May 2008 at the point where the downtown exit's off-ramp splits into two. Secondary destinations are listed in a smaller font below the street names.
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As of January 2006, the only original overpass left was the one at 9th Street north of downtown (top). However, demolition began on February 10 and the new bridge (bottom) did not open until the end of October 2007. On January 29, 2007, the separate ramp to 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue was closed; the eastbound exit ramp for downtown Des Moines (exit 8A) was split off into separate ramps for 2nd/3rd and 5th/6th/7th Streets after construction was finished.
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While signage for most exits are limited to two primary and two secondary destinations, four secondary destinations are posted for the Downtown Des Moines exit.
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Like its westbound counterpart, the eastbound exit sign for the downtown exit also lists "Downtown Des Moines" as the destination.
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After exiting, the ramp splits into two ramps: one serving 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue, and the other serving 5th and 6th Avenues plus 7th Street. The sign on the left-hand side of the road behind the first sign lists the same four secondary destinations that are signed from mainline I-235.
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In April 2008, overhead signage was put up at the point where the downtown exit's off-ramp splits into two ramps. The 9th Street overpass is immediately behind this gantry.
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Here is a secondary sign listing the three signals for 7th Street, 6th Avenue, and 5th Avenue at the off-ramp from eastbound I-235.
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These signs on the eastbound off-ramp at 3rd Street have a different font than what we are used to on green signs — it's not Clearview, but it's not the FHWA font we're used to seeing either.
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At Keo Way, Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, and 19th Street
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Keo Way and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway/19th Street, which were once separate exits, are now one exit from westbound I-235.
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Upon exiting, drivers can go straight toward MLK and 19th or exit onto Keo from the off-ramp. New overhead signs were put up in May 2008 to help drivers.
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This worn-out sign on northbound Keo(sauqua) Way pointed traffic onto I-235. The on-ramp followed 12th Street for a few blocks before splitting, and traffic onto both directions of I-235 merged into the left lanes of the freeway. The ramp onto eastbound I-235 permanently closed in September 2002, while the ramp onto westbound I-235 closed in July 2005 as the entire interchange was rebuilt. (Photographed by Jeff Morrison)
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Most of the reconstructed interchange between Keo Way and I-235 opened in late 2006 (the on-ramp to eastbound I-235 reopened on Halloween 2007). A horizontal traffic signal display was placed on southbound Keo at the on-ramp to westbound I-235; the signals were likely placed horizontally to make them visible from the overpass before this.
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Looking north on MLK Parkway toward I-235.
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This green sign is at the two-lane on-ramp from northbound MLK Parkway to westbound I-235.
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These "right lane ends" graphic signs at the on-ramp from MLK Parkway to westbound I-235 looks different from the ones we're used to seeing, but get used to them: According to this page, the Iowa DOT plans to phase in this sign by the end of 2013.
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And here is its opposite, the new "left lane ends" sign, seen on the on-ramp from Keo Way to eastbound I-235.
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I-235 looking east from the 19th Street overpass toward downtown in April 2008.
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Before reconstruction began, none of the exits east of 63rd Street were numbered. That changed on October 14, 2005, when this sign gantry showing the Martin Luther King Parkway/19th Street exit as Exit 7A was put up.
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The Cottage Grove Avenue overpass — which was completed in December 2002 — is the first one visible here. As part of the reconstruction, Cottage Grove was realigned and all direct access to I-235 was removed. The gantry was added in the fall of 2006.
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Signage for the Keo Way exit is posted on the MLK Parkway overpass.
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At 31st, 42nd, and 56th Streets
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The rebuilt 31st Street exit opened December 7, 2005.
It was originally built as a three-quarters diamond with a loop on-ramp from southbound 31st to eastbound I-235; westbound traffic exited onto 35th Street, an interchange that consisted of only one off-ramp. The 35th Street ramp was permanently closed in March 2005 and was later removed. (When this sign bridge was put up on November 22, 2005, the exit tab mistakenly read "EXIT 5A", which is really 56th Street, but it was eventually fixed.)
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This new reassurance marker is on I-235 between the 31st and 42nd Street exits. The newer reassurance markers are smaller than the ones that were previously on I-235.
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The second of three blue "basket-handle" arch pedestrian bridges is visible in this view from the 42nd Street overpass looking east. (Additional information on the design of these bridges can be found here.)
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And here is the third bridge, located west of 42nd Street near Roosevelt High School. The second and third bridges were completed in the fall of 2005.
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The I-235/42nd Street interchange was reconstructed in the first half of 2004. After the interchange reopened, green overhead I-235 trailblazer signs like these were put up on signal poles. Similar signs have been placed at other I-235 interchanges since then.
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Looking west, the on-ramp onto westbound I-235 splits from Center Street. Note the downward-pointing arrow below the I-235 shield.
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More button copy signage was present on southbound 56th Street as it approaches I-235. These signs were taken down in May 2005, when the old 56th Street bridge was removed.
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These signs on eastbound I-235 existed on the 56th Street overpass before they were removed, along with the bridge, in May 2005. The overpass was replaced with an overpass similar to the other new ones, and the loop ramp from southbound 56th Street to eastbound I-235 was eliminated (so the interchange is a half-diamond now). Note the sign for the 35th Street exit, which has been replaced with an exit for 31st Street.
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Windsor Heights and West Des Moines
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This was one of the first new overhead sign gantries on I-235; it was up by the end of 2004. One thing to note is that the new gantries are shaped like arches, much like the new overpass railings are. The distance sign on the left jumped the gun when it was put up, as the 63rd Street exit was still under reconstruction and the 31st Street exit had yet to open. This gantry is on westbound I-235 approaching 73rd Street in Windsor Heights, or 8th Street in West Des Moines.
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After the new signs were put up, the first mention of the junction of I-35 and I-80 for westbound traffic is on this distance sign approaching the 22nd Street exit in West Des Moines.
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This is the off-ramp from westbound I-235 at Valley West Drive. Right turns on red were banned from many I-235 off-ramps in late 2006 due to safety concerns, as the new bridge railings have reduced drivers' line of sight when turning.
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These overhead signs, heading north on Valley West Drive, warn drivers of a sharp turn and 15 MPH advised speed for the eastbound I-235 on-ramp.
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This advance sign for I-35/80 is mounted on the overpass at Valley West Drive.
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The 42nd Street overpass in West Des Moines, shown heading west, was the first new overpass to open as part of the I-235 project. The original overpass was demolished in March 2002, and the new overpass was completed four months later. (The 50th Street overpass in West Des Moines was replaced in 2000 as part of a separate project that involved building a half-diamond interchange there.)
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