Studying the Southeast Beltway

In the fall of 1973 I was hired as an information specialist by the New Jersey engineering firm of Edwards and Kelsey. E&K had been hired by the Iowa Dept of Transportation to undertake a feasibility study for a new highway around the south and east sides of the greater Des Moines area; a southeast beltway.

My job was to help map the area from Army Post Road on the North, south three miles into Warren County, from I-35 on the West to Carlisle on the East. I also had to generate a mailing list of everyone in the study area including absentee land owners, edit a bi-monthly newsletter and mail it to that list of people. An office was rented near the airport. When I wasn't out in the field, I was in the office to answer questions anyone might ask and show them the maps of the study area. The job was part-time - 30 hours a week - except for the times public information meetings were held. I was required to attend those evening meetings. Once or twice I even had to speak at them - not my idea of fun.

Area residents seemed to fall into two categories - for and against. Three possible routes had been established. I had people come into the office to look at the maps to see if a route fell across their land. They were ready to sell immediately. Dollar signs danced in their eyes. It was easier to deal with them than the irate ones who weren't going to give up their land for any damned highway no matter what.

E&K had an office in Minneapolis. They sent an intern down a few times to help with the mapping. His name was Bob Ford - easy to remember that name as I've always loved history. I grew up hearing about "the dirty coward who shot Mr. Howard and laid poor Jessie (James) in his grave". Young Mr. Ford had a good sense of humour and was easy to get along with.

It was harder to deal with the DOT big wigs. When I had the newsletter written and laid out, I had to take it to Ames to have it approved. Almost every time they drug their feet getting it back to me. It was outdated before I could get it printed and mailed. Gr-r-r-r!

The job was interesting and I learned a lot. Most memorable was not to talk to reporters "off the record." A Des Moines Register reporter came into my office one day asking questions about the study. I thought I did a pretty good job informing him all about it. Then just before he left, kind of as an afterthought, he asked me about my background; how I knew about highways, etc.

I just laughed and said, "Before this job, I didn't know anything about building a highway". Front page the next day I was quoted as "knowing nothing about highways". I expected to be fired if not by E&K, by IDOT. Not only did I look dumb, I made them look foolish. I wasn't fired. I never forgot that lesson, either.

It was many, many years before the Hiway 5 bypass was built around the south side of Des Moines. So many years I thought it had been shelved. I had moved back to SW Iowa. Then one day traveling up I-35 on the way to Des Moines, I saw construction taking place south of Army Post Road. A new off ramp was being built.

The first time I traveled the bypass, it was hard for me to recognize any former landmarks. The area had changed so much. I wondered how many families had been displaced; how much farm ground paved over. And I thought about my part in building the Southeast Beltway.