A southeast side Des Moines intersection has gone from a two-way stop sign intersection to a roundabout.
Construction on a roundabout at the intersection of East Army Post Road and Southeast 36th Street has wrapped up, and traffic is reopened, according to an Oct. 24 news release from the city of Des Moines. It’s the first city-constructed roundabout in Des Moines; two other roundabouts have been installed by Polk County on Broadway Avenue, city officials said.
The project is part of a larger effort to make the crash-prone East Army Post Road corridor safer and spur redevelopment on the southeast side, which includes reconstruction of East Army Post from Southeast 14th Street to Indianola Avenue.
The reconstruction plan stems from a 2020 traffic study that showed “significant” traffic growth at the intersection at Southeast 36th Street, along with speeding issues along the corridor, according to a City Council memo from June 2023.
Another traffic study of Army Post Road published in 2022 showed more than 200 crashes took place on the corridor over five years, with the segment between Southeast 14th Street and Indianola Avenue experiencing a 30% higher crash rate than the statewide average for similar corridors, according to city documents.
Crews started work in spring 2025, converting the intersection of Army Post and Southeast 36th Street from a two-way stop into a single-lane roundabout with one lane entering and exiting each approach, city documents show.
Roundabouts help reduce driving speeds and make it safer for pedestrians, without compromising traffic flow, city officials said in the release. Roundabouts often cost less to construct and maintain than signalized intersections, while adding green space, providing safer pedestrian crossings and lowering emissions because of reduced idling time.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Construction completed on Des Moines’ first southeast side roundabout
Reporting by Virginia Barreda, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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