Sharing on behalf of the Iowa Department of Transportation
The Iowa DOT will be installing on-ramp gates along five key interchanges on northbound I-35 through Ankeny. The gates will allow maintenance crews and law enforcement to close the ramps when roadways are blocked or impacted from inclement weather such as blizzards, ice storms, floods, crashes, hazardous material spills, and other emergencies. Gate installation is currently underway and will include these I-35 interchanges northbound on-ramps:
- Corporate Woods Drive
- Oralabor Road
- First Street
- 36th Street
- NE 72nd Street
The gates consist of a set of 18-foot swing-type, farm-style fence gates, hinged to posts. These gates are presently installed at the on-ramps of several interchanges on northbound I-35 to the Minnesota border and I-80 from Altoona to Iowa City. The Iowa DOT and area law enforcement will jointly make the decision to deploy these gates.
There are no plans to install gates at southbound entrance ramps in the Ankeny area for traffic heading into the Des Moines metro as the majority of winter traffic issues occur when motorists travel north across open areas that are more susceptible to blowing and drifting snow and icing.