Photo: City of West Des Moines
(West Des Moines, IA) -- Plans are coming together for a new 8-(m) million dollar pedestrian bridge over the Raccoon River in West Des Moines. The bridge will connect Raccoon River Park to Walnut Woods State park. The Athene financial services firm is donating 750-thousand dollars toward the bridge, which will be named after the company. The City of West Des Moines says funding is coming from various private and public sources. The city is beginning a 3-(m) million dollar, public capital campaign. West Des Moines hopes to start building the bridge early next year.
“We are so pleased with the initial response to the Athene Pedestrian Bridge,” Sally Ortgies, Director of Parks and Recreation, said. “Everyone that sees the plans gets excited about the bridge’s appearance and the connections it will make. I look forward to quickly reaching our fundraising goal so construction can begin in early 2023.”
Donations to the Athene Pedestrian Bridge capital campaign are being accepted online at https://greatoutdoorsfoundation.org/raccoon-river-pedestrian-bridge. Pledges for larger gifts are also being accepted. Contact Jen Cross, jen@greatoutdoorsfoundation.org for pledge information.