Skywalk over First Avenue East coming down Saturday to make way for ramp demolition and construction of new convention center

CEDAR RAPIDS - The skywalk over First Avenue East between Second and Third streets is coming down Saturday to clear the way for the demolition of a private parking ramp next to The Roosevelt apartments and the construction of the city's new convention center.

The city's contractor will remove the skywalk in one piece beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday. The city anticipates First Avenue East to be closed at the skywalk site until 1 p.m. The skywalk will be loaded on a truck and transported on First Avenue East to Sixth Street SE and then to 12th Avenue SE, where it will be stored for possible future use. The cost of the removal and transport is $30,930, the city reports.

The skywalk, the city notes, is 123 feet long and weighs 80,000 pounds.