(West Des Moines, IA) -- West Des Moines' busy Jordan Creek Mall area could be getting even busier, with news that hundreds of downtown Des Moines Wells Fargo employees will be moved to the Jordan Creek Wells Fargo campus. West Des Moines City Engineer Eric Peterson says while it's not known how many of those employees will work from home and how many will drive to work, it's safe to say, the traffic has gotten steadily busier in the area since the land south of I-80 and west of I-35 was developed two decades ago.
Peterson says when the land was first developed, some questioned why so many lanes would be necessary for Jordan Creek Parkway and Mills Civic Parkway, but anyone who drives on either street can see those plans were justified, given the heavy amount of residential and commercial development.
Iowa's largest shopping center, Jordan Creek Town Center will be 20-years old next year. It hosts millions of visitors each year and the area around the mall has become the busiest section of the city of West Des Moines. Peterson says a traffic count taken five years ago estimated that Mills Civic Parkway sees 47-thousand vehicles per day while Jordan Creek Parkway sees nearly 40-thousand per day.
He says the next area of development is south of the mall, along Grand Avenue where the MidAmerican Energy RecPlex is located.