A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Monday for the Athene Pedestrian Bridge, which will connect Raccoon River Park and Walnut Woods State Park. The ceremony will recognize donors of the project, one of the city of West Des Moines’ five quality of life initiatives whose goal is to provide residents and visitors ways to connect with the outdoors. The bridge will serve as a connection for cyclists and pedestrians from Raccoon River Park to Walnut Woods State Park, Brown’s Woods, Purple Martin Lake Water Recreation Area, Hidden Valley Soccer Complex and dozens of miles of future greenway trails. The project, which will include about 1.2 miles of paved trail from Raccoon River Park’s entrance to Hidden Valley Soccer Complex, is estimated to cost $9.3 million. About $2.7 million was raised from private donations, including $750,000 from Athene, a financial services company specializing in retirement services. Construction began in April and is expected to be completed in late fall 2024.