►
Description
This spring, the City of Des Moines will start replacing the Birdland Drive and 2nd Avenue Bridges. These two bridges serve as a vital corridor to the northern part of the City, serving roughly 20,000 vehicles per day.
Since 2011, 18 bridges in the City of Des Moines have been classified as being "structurally deficient". As of today, 13 of the 18 bridges classified as being structurally deficient have been addressed and are no longer considered deficient.
The five remaining structurally deficient bridges are scheduled to be rehabilitated or completely replaced in the City's current five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) plan.
A
Starting
this
spring
work
will
begin
on
two
bridges
on
second
avenue
in
des
moines.
The
second
avenue
bridge
over
berlin
drive
will
be
completely
replaced
and
the
second
avenue
bridge
over
the
des
moines
river
will
be
rehabilitated.
Both
these
bridges
were
built
in
the
mid
1930s
and
then
widened
in
the
mid
1980s.
A
Based
on
our
our
structural
analysis
and
inspections.
We've
determined
that
the
bridge
over
berlin
drive
needs
full
replacement.
That
bridge
is
actually
classified
as
structurally
deficient,
which
does
not
mean
the
bridge
is
unsafe,
but
it
does
mean
that
some
of
the
elements
are
are
in
a
condition
that
need
significant
work
since
we're
replacing
the
bridge
over
berlin
drive
now
would
be
the
best
time
to
rehabilitate
and
improve
the
bridge
over
the
des
moines
river.
That
bridge
is
about
500
feet.
Long.
A
The
deck
and
bridge
itself
is
is
in
good
condition
to
provide
a
long
service
life
so
we'll
be
improving
the
deck
by
milling
it
down
and
providing
a
new
concrete
deck
overlay
we'll
also
be
blasting
and
cleaning
the
steel
beams
and
steel
components
of
the
superstructure
of
the
bridge
and
then
repainting
those
steel
elements.
The
city
is
committed
to
maintaining
its
bridges
in
a
manner
that
ensures
the
safe
traveling
of
the
public.