Flashing crossing signals and a speed limit reduction are among the changes Polk County plans to make following a traffic study along Iowa’s famed High Trestle Trail, the site of a cycling death in the fall of 2025.
Polk County staff, along with the consulting firm Bolton & Menk, published a study in late January highlighting road and trail improvements to reduce crashes along the High Trestle Trail. The popular trail runs for 25 miles through five towns in four counties and features the half-mile-long High Trestle Trail Bridge over the Des Moines River, located between Madrid and Woodward in Boone County, according to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.
The study focuses on four intersections along Northwest 44th Street from Northwest 118th Avenue to Northwest 158th Avenue between Crocker and Sheldahl north of Ankeny. The report recommends several short- and long-term safety measures to include new signs for drivers and trail users, lighting beacons at crossings and reducing the speed limit to 50 mph from 55 mph south of Northwest 126th Avenue…