US 69, aka East 14th Street in Des Moines, likely has more stoplights between IA 5 and I-35/80 than it does in the rest of the state combined. The DOT wants to rebuild many intersections on the route, and the plans go beyond adding extra turn lanes. See the PDF here. The release of this plan is the “refine schematic alternatives” stage with a final report in summer 2021, according to this timeline.
- North of I-235, it’s straightforward: FIVE roundabouts, the US 6/Euclid Avenue intersection not among them.
- There are four options for the Maury Street intersection, which is the first one south of the viaduct/railroad tracks/MLK Parkway. One of them involves the parkway, adding right-in/right-out connector ramps that sort of function as a folded-diamond interchange.
- The Park Avenue intersection has a “displaced left turn”, whose diagram I’m not sure I follow. It looks like southbound traffic wanting to turn left would have a stoplight before the main intersection, then go down the right side of the northbound lanes before finally turning left.
- Army Post Road “B” also involves one of these turns, on eastbound Army Post to northbound 69. The “A” option is nearly status quo, but adding space between left-turn and main lanes.
- Army Post Road “C” has some weird pavement bulges in it. Once you strip away the surroundings, it’s clear that the “J-turn” has reared its ugly head again. This plan brings it to an urban area, putting three stoplights in the path of a driver wanting to turn left from 69 onto Army Post (through the main intersection, then a U-turn at what presently are the nearest driveways on either side, then right at the main intersection again). It also blocks off Bloomfield Road. The J-turn was vividly shot down at both the US 65/IA 330 intersection and US 30/US 218 intersection. An interchange isn’t possible here — although, now that I’ve seen a SPUI crammed into the IA 58/Viking Road intersection, it might almost be worth a shot.