Intersection to Polk County’s Jester Park Golf Course will permanently close

An intersection of Iowa Highway 141 and Northwest 121st Street that connects to one of the most direct routes to Jester Park Golf Course will permanently close. It’s part of a $10 million project planned by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

• A new road will extend Northwest 110th Court and connect with Northwest 106th Avenue to create an alternative, albeit less direct, route to the golf course.

Why it matters: Public safety.

• Johnston has seen more traffic due to a growing population and that has resulted in multiple high-speed crashes at the intersection in recent years, according to Polk County officials.

Driving the news: Last month, Polk County supervisors approved their nearly $1.6 million portion of the project.

• The DOT and Johnston will pay the rest of its costs.

Too much: Engineers reviewed whether traffic signals could work at the intersection but determined it would not be safe due to the highway and adjacent road configurations, said Bob Rice, the county’s public works director.

• The intersection will close after the new road is constructed, likely in late 2025, Jordan Stoermer, a civil engineer for the project told Axios Thursday.