(Des Moines, IA) -- The City of Des Moines has closed the 2nd Avenue and the Birdland Drive Bridge for an emergency repair. The city says a contractor today (Friday) inadvertently removed portions of the reinforcement for the east half of the bridge. Crews will now work to shore-up the bridge and open it for one-lane of traffic in each direction. It means 2nd Avenue will be closed from Franklin to Holcomb for up to four weeks.
City Engineer Steve Naber says work began a few weeks ago on the bridge, and the plan was to keep one lane of traffic open during the work. He says while the contractor was removing reinforcements from the west half of the bridge, the east half reinforcements were was also taken out, which required a complete closure. Naber says traffic will be detoured onto Euclid Avenue, East 14th Street and University Avenue until one lane of traffic can re-open in each direction on the bridges.