Adding to the tribute
Plaza will be final element of Veterans Bridge project
-Submitted image <BR> This drawing shows how a plaza at the east end of the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge may look.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A skid loader and small excavator are positioned on the east side of the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge on First Avenue South as construction of a plaza gets under way. The plaza will feature black stone walls bearing the logos of the U.S. armed forces, a wall listing donors to the project, seating, a flagpole and lighting.
-Submitted image <BR> This drawing shows how a plaza at the east end of the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge may look.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> A skid loader and small excavator are positioned on the east side of the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge on First Avenue South as construction of a plaza gets under way. The plaza will feature black stone walls bearing the logos of the U.S. armed forces, a wall listing donors to the project, seating, a flagpole and lighting.
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People traveling on First Avenue South in Fort Dodge may notice some construction activity on the east side of the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge.
That work isn't another city infrastructure project.
It is the first phase of a plaza that will be the capstone project in the effort to make the span a true tribute to veterans.
The plaza will feature black stone walls bearing the logos of all branches of the United States armed forces, a wall listing all the people and organizations who donated money for the project, seating, a flagpole and lighting.
Mike Larson, a Navy veteran and leader of the bridge project, said a unique feature will be a QR code on the donor wall. He said when visitors scan that QR code, they will see information on all the other veterans-related sites in Webster County.
The plaza should be complete by the end of this year, according to Larson.
"We're getting there," he said of the bridge project. "It feels good. It's coming together nicely."
McClure Engineering Co., Woodruff Construction, Baker Electric and Kallin-Johnson Monument Co., all of Fort Dodge, are the companies developing the plaza.
The bridge already features monument signs at each end bearing its name and stars and stripes artwork. It also has red, white and blue lights on the 15 lamp posts.
Those lamp posts also have metal decorations in the form of folded American flags and the insignia of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.
The bridge project is the first one outside of the military to be given permission to use the insignia of the Space Force, which is the newest branch of the armed forces.
The project is being paid for with donations, not tax dollars. The total cost has been estimated at $1.5 million.
The bridge is named after an Army veteran of World War II who served as mayor of Fort Dodge, a district court judge, an Iowa Court of Appeals judge and, finally, chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals. He died in January 2024 at age 98.
The span has always been known as Veterans Bridge, but there were no special tributes on or around it. At the urging of local veterans groups, that began to change in 2023.
In November 2023, the Fort Dodge City Council renamed the bridge in honor of Habhab. Installation of the banners and construction of the monument signs at each end of the bridge followed.
It was formally dedicated on Veterans Day 2024, and the community's Veterans Day ceremony was held there.
The red, white and blue lights on the lamp posts were added last year.