St. Louis Route 66 enthusiast Joe Sonderman said he felt considerably more optimistic about the fate of the deteriorating Meramec River-Route 66 Bridge near Eureka, Mo., after a public hearing Wednesday with Missouri Department of Transportation officials and Route 66 stakeholders.
Sonderman said on his Facebook account later that night:
I have to say after tonight’s meeting, I feel positive. (For a change!) A diverse group of stakeholders, state and even FEDERAL agencies are working together to find funding to either stabilize the bridge or build a new pedestrian only span. At least now, people are talking, and there was a good turnout.
The old Route 66 bridge that connects Route 66 State Park‘s offices to the rest of the park was closed in October after it was deemed unsafe. With the bridge closed, one can access the park only through a convoluted route of Interstate 44 and a frontage road. It’s a big mess to go to one of the most popular destinations of Missouri’s park system.
KTVI-TV in St. Louis reports that if some other party doesn’t take possession it or if funding to preserve it isn’t found by February 2012, the state will tear down the bridge. It’s possible that Trailnet, which owns the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, could take over the bridge. Or perhaps federal funding could be found to shore up the structure. Fixing the bridge has been estimated at $15 million — funds that the state says it doesn’t have.
The only thing that’s keeping the bridge from seeing the wrecking ball now is that it recently was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That forces the state of Missouri to go over more regulatory hurdles and exhaust other options before it can raze the structure.
In the end, bureaucratic delays may prove to be the bridge’s salvation.