Des Moines Metro Roads: I-80, I-35 and I-235
Des Moines Roadside Rescue answers (515) 585-8351 24/7 for breakdowns on I-80, I-35, I-235 and the bypass around Des Moines, with tows from $124. Below are the exits to name on the call, how to wait safely off the lanes and the closures on record.
Answered day and night, 24/7. Hear the price and the timing, say yes, and help is dispatched.
Tell us the road, the nearest exit or mile marker, or the cross street where you stopped.
Each price is a starting price. Availability, late hours, the distance, the weather and the vehicle can raise it. You get the final number on the call, before anything is set in motion.
Prices updated November 2026.
I-80 exits around Des Moines, west to east
Here are the metro exits in order, with links to the exits and towns that have their own page.
- Exit 117: County R22, Waukee.
- Exit 118: Grand Prairie Parkway.
- Exit 121: Jordan Creek Parkway.
- Exit 122: 60th Street (eastbound exit only).
- Exits 123A and 123B: I-235 east and I-35 south.
- Exit 124: University Avenue.
- Exit 125: Hickman Road (US 6).
- Exit 126: Douglas Avenue.
- Exit 127A: Meredith Drive (eastbound exit only).
- Exit 127B: Iowa 141.
- Exit 128: NW 100th Street.
- Exit 129: NW 86th Street.
- Exit 131: Merle Hay Road (Iowa 28).
- Exit 135: Iowa 415, 2nd Avenue.
- Exit 136: US 69, East 14th Street.
- Exit 137: I-35 north and I-235 west.
- Exit 141: US 65 south.
- Exit 142: US 65 north, Iowa 330 and US 6.
- Exit 143: Bondurant and Altoona.
Iowa DOT's 2025 counts put I-80 between mile 117 and mile 143 at more than 70,000 vehicles a day on average. Its busiest stretch, between University Avenue and Hickman Road, carries about 114,600. Roughly one vehicle in five is a truck.
Past the metro, the next I-80 exits west are 113 (County R16, Van Meter) and 110 (US 6 and US 169 at De Soto). Signs at exit 110 point to Adel and Winterset. To the east, the next exits are 149 (Mitchellville) and 155 (Iowa 117, Colfax).
I-35, I-235 and the Des Moines Bypass
I-35 shares the freeway with I-80 between exit 123, where I-35 south splits off, and exit 137, where I-35 north leaves it. I-35's own exits south of the shared stretch are on the West Des Moines page. Its exits north toward Ankeny and Polk City are on the I-35 Ankeny exits page. I-235 links those two interchanges through Des Moines itself.
The Des Moines Bypass, Iowa 5 with US 65, passes south and east of the city. Other routes in and around Des Moines include US 6, US 69, Iowa 28, Iowa 141, Iowa 163, Iowa 330, Iowa 415 and Iowa 160.
The highways out to Indianola, Pella, Newton, Perry and Winterset are covered on those town pages. We take calls on every highway, county road and street in Polk, Dallas, Warren, Madison, Jasper, Marion and Guthrie counties.
Broken down between exits on I-80 or I-35
Beside an interstate that carries tens of thousands of vehicles a day, the shoulder is the riskiest place in the metro to stand. Steer as far right as the car will go and turn on the hazard lights. Stay in your seat with the belt fastened unless the car is burning. If you have already climbed out, move up the bank or behind the guardrail, away from the lanes. Keep your passengers with you.
Call 911 first after a crash, when someone is hurt, or when the car has stopped in a travel lane and cannot be moved. For everything else, call us at (515) 585-8351. We give you the price and the timing on that call, before we send a tow truck or roadside technician.
Des Moines road closures and interstate construction
- Until Dec. 9, 2026: at the Northeast Mixmaster, the loop ramp from eastbound I-235 to westbound I-80 has been closed at all hours since the week of Nov. 1. Iowa DOT expects to reopen it at 6 a.m. Dec. 9. Its detour runs over I-235, Euclid Avenue and East 14th Street (US 69) back to westbound I-80.
- Nov. 17, 2026 to April 1, 2027: the parking-only rest area at mile marker 51 on southbound I-35 in Warren County is closed for the winter. Iowa DOT expects to reopen it on April 1.
- March 15, 2026: during the blizzard closures, Iowa DOT and state troopers told drivers not to detour onto non-freeway routes. Those roads were likely to be hazardous too, with very little shelter or traveler services.
Iowa DOT also lists five Des Moines-area interstate projects. They are the Northeast Mixmaster, the Hickman Road interchange, I-35 from Ankeny to Huxley, I-80 in Dallas County and the Southwest Mixmaster rebuild. Southwest Mixmaster work starts in late 2026 outside the travel lanes, changes traffic from 2027 and finishes in stages through 2029.
Iowa DOT's closure notices remind drivers that fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. The Mixmaster, exit 125 and exit 142 pages cover those interchanges in detail.
Where to wait off the interstate
If the car still rolls, leave the interstate at the next exit. Wait somewhere lit and open rather than on the shoulder. The exit 125 page names the 24-hour truck stop at Hickman Road. The I-35 Ankeny exits page covers the rest areas north of the metro. Tell us where you pulled in, and we send the tow or roadside help to that spot.
Checking road conditions on Iowa 511
Check Iowa 511 before a winter drive. It is online at 511ia.org, at 511 from a phone inside Iowa, and at 800-288-1047 from anywhere.
How to tell us where you are on the interstate
Give us the road, the direction you were heading, and the last exit number or the mile marker on the small green sign at the shoulder. Where I-35 and I-80 share the freeway, either road name works. The exit number or the mile marker settles it.
Questions
I'm stopped on the I-80 shoulder near Des Moines. What do I do first?
Turn on the hazard lights and stay buckled in on the I-80 shoulder. Dial 911 first if anyone is hurt or the car sits in a travel lane. Then call us at (515) 585-8351 with your direction and the number on the nearest green mile-marker sign. A tow around Des Moines starts at $124, and you hear the price on the call.
How do I check for an I-80 or I-35 closure near Des Moines?
Check Iowa 511 for closures on I-80 and I-35 around Des Moines at 511ia.org. You can also dial 511 from a phone inside Iowa, or call 800-288-1047 from anywhere. During the March 15, 2026 closures, Iowa DOT advised against detouring onto non-freeway routes. If you are already stuck, we price a tow on the call.