$5M spent to acquire land for Alice’s Road project
“The cities of West Des Moines and Waukee have racked up nearly $5 million in expenses associated with acquiring property along a much-anticipated central Iowa interchange project, a Des Moines Register review shows.
And the expenses associated with developing the Alice’s Road/105th Street interchange are expected to increase as disputes with landowners and lawyers continue into next year.
For more than a decade, intense lobbying and negotiations at several levels of government have gone into making the Dallas County interstate interchange a reality.
Officials recently renamed the road Grand Prairie Parkway, and planners expect a flurry of development to accompany the project.
The cities have partnered on the interchange, which is expected to open to vehicles in 2015. The public works project has been estimated to include about $31 million in improvements, including $10 million in federal money for a bridge over Interstate Highway 80 linking Waukee and West Des Moines.”
Pratt, Christopher. The Des Moines Register 9 November 2014.