Steve Naber, Des Moines city engineer, presented a feasibility study to the Des Moines City Council on Oct. 5 recommending that the city renovate and reuse the existing 4C/5C skywalk bridge to reconnect the Fifth and Walnut parking garage to the downtown skywalk system.

The recommendation is important because the current skywalk connection was removed in 2017 with demolition of the old garage and city code requires an accessible vertical access per street block within the designated skywalk system; reconnecting the garage affects downtown parking economics, future development and compliance with the skywalk ordinance.

Naber summarized three studied options. Option 1 would demolish the temporary 4C/5C bridge and build a shorter new connection directly between the Polk County Justice Center and the garage; it is lowest in square footage and cost but places columns that make sidewalks tight. Option 2, the recommended approach, would renovate and use the existing 4C/5C bridge and route the connection down along the public sidewalk to minimize impacts on the adjacent development parcel; Naber said that approach best balances constructability, future development coordination and sidewalk impacts. Option 3 would build an extended connection through Capitol Square and Kirkwood; staff presented it for completeness but did not recommend it because of cost, property impacts and constructability.

Naber said the study estimated a planning‑level cost for option 2 of about $2.6 million and noted that funding would likely come from tax‑increment financing with debt issuance; he said the item is not yet in the capital improvements program as a line item. Matt Anderson, deputy city manager, told the council that the adjacent residential tower development is required in its development agreement to provide at least 100 paid parking spaces by year two and up to 390 spaces, which could affect demand for parking in the garage.

Council members raised multiple concerns before any decision: the visual and pedestrian experience of walking under a new structure; the effect of columns on sidewalk width; the absence of an internal north–south pedestrian corridor inside the existing garage that would connect to an undeveloped parcel to the south; and whether the city should wait for private development to provide a more integrated solution. One council member said, without attributing a name, “That’s a lot of money,” and asked staff to weigh alternatives and other priorities before committing tax dollars.

Naber said staff can align design and a construction schedule with the residential tower so that work could be completed about the same time as tower construction (mid‑2027 in the study schedule), which would reduce repeated street closures. He also said the team added a stair in the garage plan to address current missing pedestrian connectivity between the elevator core and the northeast stairwell.

The council did not take a formal vote. Members asked staff to provide additional details including a breakdown of who holds monthly reserved spaces in nearby garages, confirmation of obligations under the skywalk ordinance, options to minimize sidewalk impacts, and whether the proposed corridor can be made accessible to the undeveloped southern parcel without later reconstruction. Council discussion included a preference from several members to avoid making changes the city might need to revisit once adjacent private development proceeds.

Ending: Staff said they will provide requested follow‑up data on parking contracts, legal obligations under the skywalk ordinance, funding options, and refined construction implications to help the council decide whether to proceed with design and budgeting for option 2.