ASHWORTH ROAD PHASES 1 AND 2

Project Overview

Ashworth Road is a minor arterial connecting West Des Moines to the new Grand Prairie Parkway interchange in Waukee. The existing street from Jordan Creek Parkway to Grand Prairie Parkway is a 2-lane rural road. The City of West Des Moines has programmed Ashworth Road to be reconstructed to a 5-lane urban street in 0.5-mile phases from Jordan Creek Parkway to the West Des Moines City limits. The project includes a shared use path, storm sewer and water main. There is an existing CenturyLink duct bank within the Ashworth Road right of way that cannot be relocated or lowered. 

McClure worked with CenturyLink to pothole the existing duct bank to determine its existing elevation. With the duct bank located, McClure set the profile of Ashworth Road to not impact the duct bank while minimizing impacts to the adjacent property owners. The road had to be set higher than the surrounding properties due to the elevation of the duct bank which required storm sewer intakes to be placed in the yards of adjacent properties to intercept storm water flowing to the site. McClure worked with the City’s right of way agent to obtain permanent storm sewer easements from affected properties.

Phase 1 began construction in 2017, Phase 2 began in 2018.  The entire corridor was completed in the summer of 2019.

Project Highlights:

• The project will serve as a minor arterial connection, parallel to Interstate 80, between interchanges on Jordan Creek Parkway and Grand Prairie Parkway.
• The project included preliminary interchange concepts for a future interchange at Ashworth Road and Interstate 80.
• The design was especially challenging due to a 90-year-old interstate duct bank running under the pavement. The duct bank could not be relocated. The elevation of the duct bank drove the profile of the road and required the storm sewer to be designed deeper than typical. 
• The project included identifying utility conflicts and coordinating with the utility companies to mitigate the conflicts. The project included relocation of two gas mains, overhead electric and cable, and underground communication lines.
• The project included preparation of right of way acquisition plats, permanent and temporary easement plats. McClure worked with the right of way acquisition agents to provide technical background during right of way negotiations with the property owners.