(West Des Moines, IA) -- The City of West Des Moines is trying to find a place to build a commuter bridge over the Racoon River. Last week, the city approved funding for a research study to find impacts of two different areas where a bridge would be feasible, with one site west of Interstate 35, and the other east, in the Commerce area.
West Des Moines City Engineer Brian Hemesath says currently the only local roads in West Des Moines crossing the river, besides the Interstate, are at 1st Street (Highway 28) and Grand Prairie Parkway.
"The main reason we want to do this is we want to make sure that we could either know for sure we want to put a bridge somewhere, or completely rule an area out," Hemesath said. "Any kind of historical items that might be out there, archeological, environmental, as far wetlands, wooded wetlands, those are all parts of the puzzle that we've got to put together."
Hemesath says city officials, including the mayor, are looking towards economic expansion in areas of West Des Moines south of the Racoon River, with a goal of connecting a potential bridge to the Highway 5 bypass. He says the city will not destroy any historical landmarks or the environment in the process.
Even if a suitable spot is found, Hemesath says the project might take awhile, as the city's five-year capital improvement plan budget doesn't include construction of a new bridge.
City officials are scheduled to meet with the engineers conducting the study later this week to get an update.