Grand Avenue bridge closes today

The Grand Avenue bridge across the Des Moines River closes today for demolition and replacement, the Des Moines Register reports. The bridge, built in 1918, was a key link in Iowa’s early highway system. It wasn’t part of the first version of the River-to-River Road (the RRR used Locust Street between 7th and East 9th streets in a 1910 guide), but by the mid-1920s, after the bridge was built, it was on the route that became US 32 and then US 6. The four major street bridges in downtown Des Moines were built in a decade-long span in the early 20th century, the Register article notes.