Pine Street bridge to be replaced

A critical bridge on Pine Street has been slated for replacement by the Missouri Department of Transportation, an estimated $3.74 million project.

The section of Pine Street that crosses the Black River is served by two bridges, one for eastbound traffic and one for westbound traffic. They see a total of about 12,000 vehicles per day.

Work to replace the bridge for the westbound lanes is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2022, said David Wyman, MoDOT area engineer. The new structure would include a sidewalk on the north side. The project will likely be put out for bid in late 2021.

MoDOT is currently accepting proposals from the public to relocate or reuse the historic 1934 structure, once it is ready to be removed.

“On that bridge, the superstructure, the truss itself, it’s actually starting to lean to the east,” Wyman said.

The problem was identified in 2017, but has not reached the level of a safety concern that requires weight restrictions or other measures, he said.

“There’s no safety problems with it right now,” he said. “It’s one of those things, that the structure has started to move and we want to try to get that addressed and corrected before we have any problems.”

The project was placed in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to be scheduled for replacement.

Bridge components are ranked from zero to nine, with nine being a new bridge, Wyman explained. When the rating reach a four or lower, it is considered in poor condition. The superstrucuture, or truss, is now at a four.

The project will be paid for with a combination of federal and state funds.

It will require changes to traffic flow during construction, Wyman said.

Plans have not been finalized, but current plans are to use the remaining two lanes to carry all of the traffic during construction.

MoDOT will likely need to temporarily close Second Street and Riverview access from Pine Street during construction, Wyman said.

Construction is expected to take most of 2022.

Several additional meetings and discussions are expected before plans are finalized, he said.

MoDOT is also in discussions with the city of Poplar Bluff to include historic lighting on the new bridge, similar to what has been added in some areas of downtown.

Renovation of this structure was last completed in 1986.

The bridge serving the eastbound lanes was constructed in 1975.