The federal government gave the final approval last week to redo the I-35/80 interchange with IA 141 and add ramps at Meredith Drive, the Des Moines Register reports. Here’s the nugget that makes it weird:
The interchange is located at the junction of Urbandale, Johnston and Grimes. It’s known locally as Rider Corner for the 90 degree turn the interstate makes and for the Rider Coal Mine that once operated nearby. Johnson said re-branding will be a part of the project.
Why does the corner need to be “rebranded”? Is it because there was nothing out there until 25 years ago, or because a suburb can’t be associated with something as unfashionable as a coal mine? The name is on old USGS topo maps, so it’s not necessarily gone from memory. Is the city of Urbandale going to sell naming rights (“Rider Corner Presented by SuperTarget”)?