DES MOINES, Iowa — Free parking on several downtown Des Moines bridges may soon be going away. City leaders are moving forward with a proposal to add meters to four overpasses that have allowed drivers to park at no cost for years.
Since 2018, the Court Avenue, Locust, Walnut and Grand Avenue bridges have offered free parking, with some spaces reserved for city employees working at the now-former City Hall on Robert D. Ray Drive. But because city operations have relocated to 12th and Locust, a council memo states those reserved spaces are “no longer necessary.”
The change would allow the city to install meters on all four bridges. Parking would cost 75 cents an hour. A nearby stretch north of Des Moines Street on Robert D. Ray Drive, also historically reserved for employees, would be priced at $1.50 an hour…