With long-sought federal money in hand, the city of Des Moines announced Tuesday it will soon break ground on the final portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, completing a four-lane connection from Interstate 235 east to U.S. 65 .
The city said it received $34 million in Infrastructure For Rebuilding America funds for the Southeast Connector that will complete the roadway. It currently ends at Southeast 30th Street, about 3 miles shy of U.S. 65, a limited-access high-speed link to Interstate 80 and, via Highway 5, Interstate 35.
Construction will begin in spring 2025.
The project has been years in the making. The first phase, which saw Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway built from Interstate 235 to the Des Moines River downtown, kicked off in 1999.
The final phase of the project aims to lessen congestion and divert trucks from streets like Vandalia Road and East University Avenue, reducing the overall volume of traffic on residential roads and in busy commercial corridors. It will serve southeast Des Moines industrial sites like the Titan Tire plant and Kemin Industries and the Des Moines Industrial Transloading Facility at 357 S.E. 15th St. That facility provides a link between railroad and truck transportation, serving a number of commercial tenants.