The city is closing a stretch of Park Avenue on Des Moines’ south side for about a month as crews install a sidewalk on the corridor.
The city will close Park Avenue from Southwest 23rd Street to Fleur Drive starting Monday, July 21, officials said in a news release. The section will be closed until Aug. 22, except to residents who need to access their homes.
The sidewalk project is among dozens in the works across Des Moines — an effort to fill in hundreds of miles of sidewalk gaps under the city’s transportation plan, Move DSM.
Jadie Stratton walks to work from her home on the south side on April 24, 2025, in Des Moines.
The plan, adopted in 2018, calculated that Des Moines has 952 miles of sidewalk — but also more than 660 miles of sidewalk gaps. These missing concrete links exist in just about every neighborhood in Des Moines.
More: Why Des Moines is adding 180 miles of sidewalks, even though it will take 35 years
Trying to close those gaps, city officials are prioritizing 180 miles near schools, bus stops and major corridors. But officials estimate it will take at least 35 years to fill those gaps because of the complexity and cost — almost $60 million.
The quarter-mile stretch of Park Avenue has an existing sidewalk on the north side of the street. The new installation will happen on the south side of the street.
Brody Middle School is nearby.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government and Polk County reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on X at @vbarreda2.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Park Avenue in Des Moines will be closed while crews add sidewalks