The Traffic Division strives to provide a safe and efficient travel system for vehicles and pedestrians on the West Des Moines street network. This is done in part by installing appropriate traffic control devices such as traffic signals, warning signs, stop signs and yield signs based on traffic studies and the guidelines and standards defined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

The Traffic Division consists of the traffic engineering staff, traffic signal technicians, and traffic sign/pavement marking technicians.

The Traffic Engineering staff conducts numerous traffic studies throughout the year ranging from simple traffic counts to detailed accident analyses. The studies provide recommendations to install signs and traffic control devices and make geometric street design changes to improve safety within our rights-of-way. The operation of the Traffic Operations Center, located at the Public Services Facility, is also the responsibility of the Traffic Division.

The Traffic Signal Technicians maintain the city’s traffic signals, school flashers, and the decorative street lights in the Valley Junction area. Overall the signal technicians maintain 114 traffic signals. In addition, the signal technicians perform One-Call locates of traffic signal cables for excavations being conducted in the vicinity of the cables.

Our Traffic Sign Technicians install and maintain over 19,000 stop, warning and street name signs throughout the city. The Traffic Sign Technicians manufacture many of our signs using a special sign making computer system. This allows us to replace and repair signs in an efficient and timely manner.

The Traffic Division is responsible for the maintenance of pavement markings including lane lines, arrows, crosswalks, railroad crossing pavement markings, and parking lot lines in city parking lots. This includes over 200 miles of lane lines, over 1370 arrows, and over 3,720 parking lot lines.

Watch Pavement Marking

Watch the Public Services Pavement Marking Video below.

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Report Repairs/Concerns

Visit SeeClickFix to learn about reporting non-emergency issues directly to the City using your cellphone or computer!

Report a Traffic Signal Problem - Include: The intersection, time of day and a detailed description of the problem you encountered.

Report a Traffic Sign Missing or Damaged - Include: Detailed description of the type of sign damaged (stop, yield, street name, etc.), the location (an address, landmark or distinct feature) and the amount of damage (sign only, sign and post, post only) if possible.

Report a Traffic Concern - Law enforcement issues (illegal parking or other activities) need to be reported directly to the Police Department by calling 515-222-3321 (for non-emergencies) or 911 (for emergencies). 

After Hours

If you need immediate assistance to report malfunctioning traffic signals or traffic sign repairs, please call West Des Moines Police Dispatch (Westcom) at 515-222-3321.

Regular Business Hours

Our regular business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can call the Public Services Facility at 515-222-3480 to report a malfunctioning traffic signal or traffic sign repairs.