The SW 5th (Jackson) Street Bridge in Des Moines,commonly known as the Jackson Street bridge,was one of 12 State Recreational Trails Projects that received funding via the Iowa Transportation Commissionon October 14th 2014.
The historic bridge that connects south Des Moines to downtown was constructed in 1898. It was closed to the public in March 2013 after an engineering study determined there was advanced deterioration and corrosion of structural elements.
Good news comes 19 months after the bridge closure. TheCity of Des Moines Park and Recreation applied for a state recreational trail grant and received $500,000. It was one of 57 projects that were submitted. It was the onlyhistorical trail bridge application received.
The city had considered demolishing the bridge at a cost of $750,000, but after public outcry, the city decided to apply those funds toward restoration efforts.Meredith Corp. even agreed to pay for a more in-depth engineering study.
Total restoration will cost $3,740,000.
About the Jackson Street Bridge
The existing bridge is a 392 foot long by 25 feet wide, three-span steel through high-truss, originally built in 1898 for urban wagon traffic.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its architectural significance as well as its association with bridge construction practices in the late 1800s.
The bridge was converted to pedestrian use in 1998.
A subsequent inspection identified significant deterioration and an inability to calculate the load capacity, which caused the bridge to be closed to all use in March 2013. (source IDOT)