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Forklift damages skybridge linking courthouse, police

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By Kurt Allemeier | Saturday, May 17, 2008 |

The skybridge linking the Scott County Courthouse and Davenport Police Department was damaged in a recent construction accident, but it should be safe from harm when Ripley Street reopens underneath it.

The skybridge, which should soon be open for use by Davenport police, the county attorney’s office and sheriff’s department, was hit by a forklift that damaged some siding, Dave Donovan, Scott County facilities and support services director, said Friday.

The contractor that has workers at the city’s police parking ramp project and the 1983 jail renovation is responsible for the damage and will pay for it, Donovan said.

One block of Ripley Street, between 4th and 5th streets, has been closed since construction started on the Davenport Police building and the new Scott County Jail in 2006. The skybridge was built with enough clearance for semi-trucks to pass underneath. A nearby train bridge at Harrison Street occasionally snags truck drivers coming into the downtown, catching trailers that are taller than the posted height.

Traffic will resume on Ripley Street when it reopens after construction is completed, Donovan and Davenport traffic engineer Gary Statz said. The street is lightly used and likely will continue to be that way.

“The primary purpose of that one-block of road is the access to the police department and the courthouse,” Donovan said.

The county takes deliveries on that side of the building and will also have employee entrances, Donovan said.

Workers are installing doors on the skybridge and they will be accessible only with electronic key cards, Donovan said. The police department and county are compiling lists of personnel who should have access to pass through the skyway.

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.