Man arrested after driving on Riverside Drive pedestrian bridge

An Illinois man was arrested early Friday after a seemingly amazing feat: driving a car down the spiral pedestrian bridge that crosses Riverside Drive.

Brian David Bordwell, 19, of Geneseo, Ill., was charged with drunken driving after multiple bystanders called police at 1:23 a.m. Friday saying they saw a car driving on the pedestrian bridge, according to a criminal complaint from the Iowa City Police Department.

The bridge is just over 8 feet wide.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde said Bordwell was driving a four-door gray Pontiac on the bridge that passes over four lanes of traffic and one turning lane on Riverside Drive.

Gaarde said Bordwell drove eastbound on the bridge, and down the spiraled exit that leads to Iowa Avenue. According to the complaint, police found Bordwell's car parked on the sidewalk.

Gaarde said he didn't know whether Bordwell's car was damaged.

Bordwell "exhibited multiple signs of intoxication," according to the complaint, including bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, unsteady balance and a strong odor of ingested alcohol. Bordwell submitted to a breathalyzer test, which showed his blood-alcohol content was more than 0.08, according to the complaint.

Bordwell was arrested and charged with drunken driving, a serious misdemeanor. Bordwell was at the Johnson County Jail on Friday morning on a $1,000 bond.

The University of Iowa stated that it has joint ownership of the bridge with the city of Iowa City and that there was no assessment of any damage to the bridge as of Friday afternoon.

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com, or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.