Construction may cause slight hiccups to DART’s Iowa State Fair Shuttle

Date:2025-08-06 09:48:36 Category:US Views:1 Comment:0

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa State Fair is upon us and officials are encouraging fairgoers utilizing the DART fair shuttle to plan ahead as construction is expected to cause a few hiccups.

DART is once again providing three park and ride locations, where fairgoers can park for free at three sites and, with the purchase of a shuttle ticket, hop on a DART bus to be dropped off at one of the fair entrances. This year the three parking locations are the 7th and Center Street Parking Garage, the Iowa State Capitol, and the Southeast Polk High School and the drop-off location is Gate 10.

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However, road construction in Des Moines and Pleasant Hill has led DART to adjust the route slightly to minimize delays. Officials said that riders from the Southeast Polk Park & Ride location may experience longer wait times due to the detours.

On Tuesday, DART also announced that those wanting to utilize the Southeast Polk location should plan ahead and arrive early, as there will be no extra parking space at the Southeast Polk Junior High School like in years past due to construction. Officials said they expect the high school parking lots to fill up by mid-morning each day and stay full until the evening. Officials also said there might not be any parking available at the high school before noon due to a special event.

Shuttle service will begin at all locations at 8 a.m. each day of the fair. Service will end at midnight each night except for the final day of the fair, Sunday, August 17, when the fair closes early. Riders can purchase shuttle tickets starting at $3 from the booths located at each Park & Ride location.

For more information about the fair shuttle service and tickets visit DART’s website.