Street Maintenance and Repair

Maintaining our streets is a top priority for West Des Moines. To keep our roads safe and smooth for the lowest cost to taxpayers, the City uses a Street Management System (SMS). This system helps us track road conditions and schedule repairs before they become expensive problems.

Why we use proactive maintenance: Just like changing the oil in your car prevents engine failure, fixing small cracks in the road now prevents us from having to rebuild the entire street later. This saves millions of dollars in infrastructure costs.

The Scope of Our Network

The City’s street network is likely the most valuable asset owned by West Des Moines taxpayers. Here is a look at what we manage:

  • Size: Our public street network consists of approximately 869 lane miles of roads.
  • Value: The replacement value of these roads is estimated at over $1.2 billion.
  • Growth: Over the last decade, our street network has grown by about 3% to 4% annually due to new development and annexations.

How We Maintain Our Roads

The City uses a computerized database to inventory street information and predict future needs. We use several methods to keep roads in good condition:

  • Asphalt Overlay (Resurfacing): We add a new 2-to-3-inch layer of asphalt to the street. On older roads, we "mill" (grind down) the old surface first to make sure the new layer sticks properly.
    Watch the Resurfacing Video
  • Patching: We remove broken sections of pavement and replace them with new concrete. We often fix drainage intakes at the same time to prevent water damage.
    Watch the Patching Video
  • Durable Pavement Markings: We cut small grooves into the road and place markings inside them. This protects the paint from snowplows, allowing the lines to last 5 years instead of just one.
    Watch the Road Striping Video
  • Crack Sealing & Water Prevention: We fill joints with liquid asphalt and apply sealers to keep water and winter debris out. Water soaking into the ground under the road is the leading cause of potholes.
  • Subdrain Retrofit: We install pipes along the side of the street to drain excess groundwater. This is highly recommended in areas with irrigation lines to prevent premature road failure.
  • Street Reconstruction: If a road is too badly damaged to fix, we completely replace it with new pavement. This is our most expensive and time-consuming method, so we only use it when other repairs are no longer possible.

Current Projects

To see where road work is happening right now, visit our construction map:

View WDM Construction Projects