WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — What was meant to be a gathering turned into a collective shiver, but West Des Moines took care of business.

“We’d hoped that it would have been done a lot sooner than it was,” said Mayor Russ Trimble, “but happy to celebrate today.”

Benefactors from both the public and private sectors were on hand to dedicate the new Athene Bridge over the Raccoon River.

“I heard a lot of comments just as we were getting ready for the event today,” said parks and recreation director, Ryan Penning, “that said that we’ve been waiting for this for 34 years.”

It’s made sense for at least that long but somehow had never happened — a link between two of the city’s most popular outdoor spaces.

“Hopefully we can get more people to Walnut Woods State Park and hopefully more people to Raccoon River Park,” Penning said.

“I’ve got so many more miles I can ride without having to cross these streets,” said cyclist David McCluskey, who’d pulled over to watch the ceremony, “it’s a great plus.”

Between floods and construction, it’s been a rough year on metro bike trails, but that water now seems under the bridge.

“I’m on the Des Moines Cycling Club board,” says another cyclist, Rob Falcon, “and we do a lot of rides out of Walnut Woods, and it’s a great circle ride that we do out there for training, but getting out there was quite difficult.”

The bridge is finished but West Des Moines isn’t — not with its master plan to make even more connections.

“What’s really going to be amazing,” Trimble said, “is when we’re eventually able to connect to the Great Western Trail. That trail is iconic, people love it.”

That’ll mean there’s more fundraising and construction to come.

But save that for another day. This one was about the work that’s behind them, and the good times soon to come.

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