Fleur Drive Bridge could become a pedestrian bridge
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Southbound lanes of the Fleur Drive Bridge go over the Raccoon River and travel close to Water Works Park. The George Washington Carver Bridge is in the background. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios
The Fleur Drive Bridge over the Raccoon River could become a pedestrian bridge as part of an ongoing evaluation by the city of Des Moines.
Catch up quick: The 90-year-old bridge was once a main route between downtown and the airport before the east-west sections of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway were built about two decades ago.
- Now it carries around 6,000 vehicles a day, a decrease of over 80% from the 34,000 that traveled it before the MLK links were finished.
Zoom in: A road reconfiguration near Des Moines Public Schools' Central Campus last year removed the direct route to the bridge from Grand Avenue.
- Its southbound lanes from downtown are now accessible only through a two-way section of Locust Street.
State of play: The bridge requires repair or replacement and the City Council approved a nearly $150,000 agreement this month to assess options, including converting it to a pedestrian bridge.
What's next: Construction could begin as early as 2029, with initial estimated costs ranging from $8 million to $14 million, per a city document.
- Evaluations of the Fleur Drive Bridge will be documented in a 3D model in the coming months.