By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The big I-64 construction project has been getting a lot of attention of late, but there's another project coming in St. Louis could create its own set of traffic snarls.
The bridge that takes Jefferson Avenue over a rail-yard just south of I-64 will close in August or September, then be torn down and re-built. It will be closed for at least a year.
Specifically, Jefferson will close between Scott and Chouteau, a span of about a third of a mile.
During that time, people will still have access to I-64 and to a stretch of businesses that include a UPS distribution center just south of I-64 (see map below).
City engineer Tom Behan says years of salt and water have wreaked havoc on the span. "The outside lanes have been closed for a while because there is some significant deterioration of the bridge deck," Behan said, in an interview.
"We've reinforced areas to bridge over that so it can remain open, but it definitely does need rebuilding."
Behan says the $19 million project should be done just in time for I-64 to be closed east of I-170. The I-64 project will see the highway closed west of 170 next year (2008) and to the east of 170 (to Kingshighway) in 2009.
Behan says the Jefferson Avenue project is the continuation of other bridge projects in the city: "We've replaced several bridges over that railroad yard, starting with 12th street, 14th street, 18th, we've done those.
"We're just working our way out, and Jefferson's going to be a tough one because that is a major arterial."
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