Ames Buys Property for Grand Avenue Expansion
The city has acquired one of two properties needed to widen the Grand Avenue and 13th Street intersection.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Home Renovation
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The Ames City Council approved a $233,000 purchase agreement for a Harding Ave. property, one of two parcels needed for the Grand Avenue and 13th Street intersection expansion. Relocating tenants at the site costs an additional $21,000 beyond the purchase price.
Why it matters
The expansion is intended to ease traffic at the Grand Avenue and 13th Street intersection, where the 13th Street approaches have no dedicated turn lanes and drivers often face significant delays. For Ames residents, the project will reshape a busy corridor near Iowa State University and Interstate 35.
The Harding Ave. purchase agreement totals $233,000 with $21,000 in relocation costs, bringing the total for easements and property to $285,722. The city has spent just over $74,600 on 10 easements, and five more easements plus the church property remain to be acquired.
The players
Ames City Council
The elected governing body of Ames, Iowa, which approved the property purchase agreement and oversees the city's infrastructure planning.
Ames Seventh Day Adventist Church
A congregation whose property at 1303 Grand Ave. the city must acquire and demolish to complete the intersection expansion.
The details
The city plans to widen streets in all directions to three lanes and add four left-turn lanes, a traffic signal, and a shared-use path. Acquiring the project site requires buying and demolishing the Ames Seventh Day Adventist Church at 1303 Grand Ave. and a residential duplex at 1302 Harding Ave.
Timeline
Oct. 29: Council approved the Harding Ave. property purchase agreement.
November 2026: Lane closures begin on Grand Avenue for power pole replacement.
Friday, Nov. 20: Northbound Grand Avenue lane closures are expected to end.
2028: Construction is scheduled to begin.
Roadmap
The Harding Ave. purchase is one step in the Grand Avenue and 13th Street expansion plan that Ames has been assembling parcel by parcel. The project remains tied to a 2028 construction start and still depends on acquiring the church property and remaining easements.
Drivers using Grand Avenue and 13th Street should expect lane closures for power pole work and reduced traffic to a single lane each way through the intersection. The full widening will not affect traffic patterns until construction begins in 2028.
The takeaway
Ames is assembling the land for a major intersection upgrade piece by piece, and residents on the Grand Avenue corridor should watch for construction timing as the remaining acquisitions progress.
What happens next
Construction at the intersection is scheduled for 2028, and the city must still acquire the Ames Seventh Day Adventist Church and five additional easements before that work can begin.
Further reading
For more on local construction and property projects, see Home Renovation coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by USA TODAY.
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