Des Moines’ east side residents are getting a connection to the metro’s trail system.
City officials are building out a new 1.5-mile trail connection along the south side of Guthrie Avenue on Des Moines’ east side that will serve as a “huge, critical” east-west connector for pedestrians and bicyclists over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, said City Engineer Steve Naber.
The Guthrie Avenue Trail, which eventually will extend from Hubbell Avenue to Glenbrook Drive, fills in a gap for east side residents who want easier access to spots like Union Park and Birdland Park and Marina, as well as the larger central Iowa trail system. Currently, east siders have to go north to Euclid Avenue or south to Easton Boulevard to get over the tracks, but those sidewalks aren’t ideal for bicyclists, Naber said…