A scenic crossing over the Raccoon River in West Des Moines that connects recreational attractions on both sides of the river is now open. The city and representatives from Athene, a retirement savings company headquartered in West Des Moines, celebrated the opening of the Athene Pedestrian Bridge with a ribbon cutting on Thursday afternoon. The 620-foot-long truss bridge allows cyclists and pedestrians to travel across the Raccoon River between Raccoon River Park and Walnut Woods State Park. The bridge is one of the city's significant recreational improvements under the Five Waters initiative, named after the five bodies of water West Des Moines hopes to connect with a marathon-distance trail. They are Blue Heron Lake, which is within Raccoon River Park, the Raccoon River, Jordan Creek, Sugar Creek and a future lake west of Interstate Highway 35 that will be created once an existing quarry there closes. Tap the link in our bio for more on this story. #WestDesMoines #Iowa #statepar...