The westbound lane of the Pine Street bridge over the Black River will become fill to help prevent erosion when the structure is replaced in the coming year.
The approximately $3.5 million project is slated to be let in February 2022, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. Construction is scheduled to start in the spring, and be completed by the summer of 2023.
The 1934 structure was originally opened to the public to be relocated or reused, but there weren’t any takers, David Wyman, MoDOT area engineer, said Tuesday.
“It’s very rare that anyone chooses to do something with a structure like that. The cost of moving a structure like that is significant,” he said.
So the concrete will remain on the Black River, but serving a new purpose, helping protect against erosion on the slopes between the new bridge and the water on one side and the street on the other side.
Decisions were made as early as 2017 to replace the structure because of deterioration, Wyman has said.
Bridge components are ranked from zero to nine, with nine being a new bridge, Wyman said previously. When the rating reaches a four or lower, it is considered in poor condition. The superstructure, or truss, is now at a four.
“On that bridge, the superstructure, the truss itself, it’s actually starting to lean to the east,” Wyman said in an earlier interview.
The problem 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 eastbound lanes were constructed in 1975 and remain in good condition, Wyman said Tuesday. The bridge sees a combined approximately 12,000 vehicles per day.
“It seems to be functioning really well. If it starts to show signs of deterioration or movement, we’ll schedule it for (replacement),” Wyman said.
The current project is being paid for through the governor’s Focus on Bridges project, with the majority of the funding coming from the state.
During construction, traffic will be re-routed to the eastbound bridge, which will provide one eastbound lane and one westbound lane.
The nearby Riverview Drive and B Street will be closed for safety reasons, said Wyman.
“We’re going to try to leave Second Street open, but we do not want to create a dangerous situation,” he said. “If we have to close Second Street, we will do that as well.”
MoDOT will also be coordinating closely with Union Pacific to ensure train traffic can continue, Wyman said. It may be stopped for short periods for specific construction needs, he explained.
Renovation of the westbound structure was last completed in 1986.