Ankeny's 36th Street Interchange Slated to Open Tuesday

Get ready, Ankeny commuters – your lives are about to get a whole lot easier.

The City of Ankeny and Iowa Department of Transportation today announced a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Interstate 35 interchange, located at Northeast 36th Street in Ankeny. The cutting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 1:30 p.m.

The interchange is scheduled to open shortly after the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The ceremony commemorates the completion of the $25.2 million interchange project, which will improve the roadway alignment of Interstate 35, alleviate traffic congestion at Ankeny's East First Street interchange and provide a safer environment for traffic on the Ames to Des Moines corridor.

"The public investment in this new interchange improves mobility, and is critical to growing the state's economy and northeast Polk County," said Ankeny Mayor Steve Van Oort in a press release.

The 36th Street interchange project has been in the works for several years. It is the second interchange in recent years constructed to add access to Ankeny. The Corporate Woods Drive interchange was added in the 1990s

In October 2010, the Iowa DOT awarded the initial construction contract for the interchange. A full cost breakdown can be found here.

The project involved the construction of a new interchange at Northeast 36th Street with full access ramps, the widening of 1.2 miles of Interstate 35 to six lanes and interim improvements at the First Street interchange.

"The economic vitality of our communities is dependent on an efficient and reliable transportation system. This new interchange provides much needed congestion relief and opens up a part of the region to further economic growth," said Iowa DOT director Paul Trombino III in the release.