Skywalk removed as severe weather hits

CEDAR RAPIDS – It's finally down, but it wasn't easy.

Severe weather in the area complicated the removal of the skywalk that once connected Coventry Gardens and the First Avenue parking ramp. But as of 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, crews were continuing the job, which will make way for the demolition of the parking ramp and construction of the new Cedar Rapids Convention Complex.

The 123-foot, 80,000 pound bridge was originally slated for removal on May 21, but those plans were thwarted when it was deemed too heavy to move. The skywalk was transported northeast on First Avenue and then down 6th Street SE en route to a city storage facility, where it will be left intact for future use.

Between 30 and 40 people were watching when two Coonrod cranes took hold of the bridge around 7:00 p.m., but, after storm sirens rang, heavy winds blew styrofoam debris from the parking ramp and heavy rain splatted the pavement, just a handful remained to see the bridge come down.

“It's going to be weird driving down here now,” said Raymond Sickles, 21, a life-long Cedar Rapids resident, at about 8:30 p.m., as cranes began to slowly twist the bridge away from the buildings. “It's been here my whole life.”

Construction in the area affects Sickles, who lives in Roosevelt Apartments, perhaps more than many area residents. He said his apartment has been made into an emergency exit because construction has blocked the building's fire escape. He said blue painter's tape has been placed over the apartment's deadbolt, so if an alarm rings the doors automatically unlock.

Sickles said he wrote a letter to the city “complaining about our security and safety.”

“It's very awkward,” he said.