By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis – A ground-breaking is scheduled for Saturday in East St. Louis for a four-story overlook officials say will offer a great view of the Gateway Arch and St. Louis skyline across the Mississippi River.
The structure will be built in the park named for the late Malcolm Woods Martin. Martin's vision was to create the park to complement the 630-foot-tall stainless steel landmark. Mike Buehlhorn is the executive director of the Metro East Park and Recreation District.
"It's a 195-foot platform that's handicap accessible in eight-foot lifts all the way up to 40 feet and the 40-foot level will situated facing the Gateway Arch and it's going to be just a spectacular view of the Arch," Buehlhorn said.
The Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis is paying for the $4 million project. Construction will begin in a few weeks and Buehlhorn says the overlook should be built by next summer.