Project History

The concept for improving transportation in the southeast portion of the Des Moines metropolitan area began in early 1970 and was referenced in the following transportation studies:

• November 1984 — Year 2020 Street and Highway Plan for the Des Moines Urbanized Area
• July 1994 — Revised Initial 1990 Des Moines Urbanized Area Transportation Plan
• October 1994 — Horizon Year 2020 Transportation Development Report

The Southeast Diagonal Corridor Study— Project Location and Major Investment Study was a preliminary location study conducted in 1999 by the City of Des Moines.

The SE Connector is the follow-up project to this study. The SE Connector consists of one project, in two phases that include final design and construction of:

• Roadway improvements between SW 2nd Street to SE 6th Street,
  including a new bridge over the Des Moines River
• Roadway improvements from SE 6th Street to SE 15th Street
• Roadway improvements from SE 15th Street to the new U.S. 65 bypass

Final design of the SE Connector, from SW 2nd to SE 15th Streets will build upon preliminary design that was completed in the 1980s. The new street design is required to comply with identified characteristics as presented in the approved Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this portion of the project, dated December 1997.

When completed, the SE Connector project will link Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (MLK) to U.S. Highway 65.

Southeast Connector - P.O. Box 8368 - Des Moines, IA. 50301 - 1-800-797-0565