North 54th Street is recommended for Special Speed Zone with the proposed Ordinance. There is no mention of North 54th Street in the current Municipal Code, Chapter 63 Speed Regulations.
NE 54th Street is a two-lane rural cross-section road, classified as a minor arterial in the 2010 Comprehensive Plan and The Ankeny Plan 2040. For the first 1,800 feet east of N Ankeny Blvd, the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour (mph) and there are several residential acreages with direct driveway access to the arterial. From that point east to NE Delaware Avenue, the posted speed limit is 45 mph. Within the 45-mph section are four intersections with local streets. Near NE Delaware Avenue, there is an access serving an apartment complex. NE 54th Street currently terminates at NE Delaware Avenue. The existing signage was installed prior to the City's annexation of this street section.
In summer and fall 2019, the bridge over the drainageway west of NE Briarwood Drive was replaced with the NE 54th Street Bridge Replacement capital improvement project. The project used design criteria appropriate for 35 mph vehicle speeds because of the vertical alignment of NE 54th Street and the shielding requirements for the new bridge ends. It is undesirable to establish varying regulatory speed limits within a single mile; therefore, it is recommended that NE 54th Street be posted at 35 mph between N Ankeny Blvd and the east corporate limit.
NW 54th Street (Polk County NW 118th Avenue) serves as the north corporate limit from NW Irvinedale Drive (Polk County NW 16th Street) east for approximately one-half mile. The roadway has a posted speed limit of 55 mph, and no changes are recommended at this time. Municipal Code Section 63.02 establishes the 55 mph speed limit for vehicle traffic where not otherwise provided.
Pending approval of the proposed ordinance, it is recommended that Section 63.05, paragraph "30. North 54th Street", be added to reflect the information stated herein.
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