Construction on the Locust Street bridge replacement project in downtown Des Moines will begin on Monday, Aug. 20, at 9 a.m., city officials announced. Locust Street between Second Avenue and Robert D. Ray Drive is expected to close to all traffic. Detour signs will direct traffic to the new Grand Avenue bridge, although other local routes are available such as Walnut Street or Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway to navigate through downtown. The Principal Riverwalk trail under the bridge is currently closed due to the Grand Avenue bridge construction, and this trail segment will remain closed during construction of the Locust Street bridge. The contractor awarded the project is Cramer & Associates Inc. of Grimes, the same firm that is completing the Grand Avenue bridge. The new Locust bridge is expected to be open to traffic in late 2019.