A major link between downtown Des Moines’s East Village and Western Gateway is reopening to traffic. While cars are again crossing the Grand Avenue Bridge, construction on it will continue until next summer.
The 100-year-old bridge spanning the Des Moines River was closed in September of 2016. The structure was demolished and crews have been working to rebuild it since.
The partially finished job is now allowing one-way traffic in each direction. Pedestrians can also now cross it on one sidewalk.
The other sidewalk, bicycle lanes, parking spots and the Principal Riverwalk near the bridge will remain closed as construction work continues. The project is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2018.
The Locust Street Bridge, the city’s oldest downtown concrete bridge, will then come down and be rebuilt.