Veterans plaza progresses
New feature being added to bridge tribute
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The final element that will complete the transformation of a Fort Dodge bridge into a true tribute to veterans is nearing completion.
Anyone driving over or near the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge on First Avenue South has likely spotted the round concrete walls that seem to be coming out of the ground on the bridge's east side.
Those walls encircle a plaza that will feature the insignia of all the branches of the U.S. military, seating, a flagpole and a wall listing all the people and organizations who donated money for the project.
"It's coming together," said Mike Larson, a Navy veteran and leader of the bridge project. "By the end of September, this thing is going to look amazing."
He said the concrete walls are done and 90 percent of the pavers in the plaza have been installed. He added that the base for the flagpole is in place.
He said that Kallinin-Johnson Monument Co. in Fort Dodge, has finished the wall listing all the project donors.
Larson said there will be a ribbon-cutting and dedication when the work is complete.
The transformation of the bridge that carries First Avenue South over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks has been underway for about three years.
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 late 2023.
In November 2023, the Fort Dodge City Council renamed the bridge in honor of Albert Habhab, an Army veteran of World War II who served as mayor of Fort Dodge, a district court judge, and Iowa Court of Appeals judge, and finally, chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals. He died in January 2024 at age 98.
In 2024, monument signs were placed at both ends of the bridge bearing its name and stars stripes artwork.
Metal decorations in the form of folded American flags and insignia of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard were placed on the lampposts.
Last year, red, white and blue lights were added to the lampposts.
McClure Engineering Co., Woodruff Construction, Baker Electric and Kallin-Johnson Monument Co., all of Fort Dodge, are the companies working on the project.
The entire project cost around $1.5 million. All of that money came from donations, not taxes.
Larson said the money was "raised really fast."