WASHINGTON – The City of Des Moines will receive $34 million from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program to complete the Southeast Connector Project from SE 30th in Des Moines to US 65 in Pleasant Hill. The INFRA program was authorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), legislation Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) supported in 2021. 

“I applaud the cities of Des Moines and Pleasant Hill for their work to boost accessibility and public safety through infrastructure improvements,” Grassley said. “The bipartisan infrastructure law continues to support investments in Iowa’s future, and I’m glad to see even more of Iowans’ hard-earned tax dollars return to our state.” 

Specifically, this INFRA grant will advance plans to:

  • Construct the final section of the Southeast Connector, providing a direct and continuous travel route between SE 30th Street in Des Moines and US 65 in Pleasant Hill;
  • Facilitate the expansion of a critical Des Moines transload facility;
  • Offer improved access to US 65 and the Interstate, resulting in lower cost shipping for the region;
  • Enhance commuter safety by incorporating flood-mitigation infrastructure and eliminating the need to traverse several railroad crossings;
  • Provide two vehicular travel lanes, curbs and gutters, street lighting, a multi-use trail with green space and a shared-use path, filling a gap in the Central Iowa Trail System; and 
  • Build a 1,515 foot-long, seven-span bridge over Fourmile Creek.

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