The Missouri Department of Transportation on Wednesday night in Lebanon, Missouri, presented its options during a public hearing for the now-closed Gasconade River Bridge that carried Route 66 near Hazelgreen.
MoDOT posted a series of documents on its website here. KOLR-TV also summarized the five options for the bridge, which was closed for two years ago because of structural deterioration, quite nicely:
- MoDOT could refurbish the old bridge, allowing cars and regular-sized trucks to use the bridge. This option costs $4.4 million in contract work.
- MoDOT could demolish the old bridge and construct a new bridge at the existing location. This would cost $4.3 million.
- MoDOT could demolish the old bridge and construct a new bridge in the same style as the original bridge (called a truss style bridge). This option would cost $5.51 million.
- MoDOT could construct a totally new bridge between the current Gasconade Bridge and I-44 bridge. This would essentially reroute Route 66 to avoid the original bridge and return to the original Route on the other side of the river. This is the cheapest option and would cost $4.12 million.
- MoDOT could construct a totally new bridge on the other side of I-44. This would require drivers to divert from 66 for a total of 6 miles and is the most expensive option at $5.82 million.
So the option is there to “repair, not replace” the bridge, and it’s less than $300,000 more expensive than the least-expensive contract option. MoDOT itself could rehab the bridge for $1.8 million, but the agency would have to pull work crews from other sites and keepit from doing maintenance and repairs on 100 other bridges for a year. It’s obvious MoDOT doesn’t see that option as viable.
But, as MoDOT’s document of the option’s pros and cons show, a rehabbed Gasconade River Bridge still would have weight and height restrictions. It wouldn’t be useful for residents to drive big farm equipment on it, nor as an Interstate 44 alternate if the four-lane closes because of an accident. And the additional costs of maintaining a 90-year-old bridge would be an ongoing issue.
I suspect MoDOT favors the option to leave the historic bridge alone and build a new bridge next to it. And according to several Facebook posts — including this — from people who attended the meeting, it’s the option favored by the Gasconade River Bridge Guardians. It’s the least-expensive contract option, and it leaves the Gasconade River Bridge as a possible role as a park or pedestrian trail.
The drawback: Another entity needs to take over ownership of the old bridge. Advocates suggested Laclede County take over responsibility, but it’s unknown whether county commissioners favor or have even studied this option.
MoDOT is encouraging residents and Route 66 advocates to weigh in on the proposals here. Comments will be taken for 30 days.
According to Bridgehunter.com, the 525-foot bridge was built in 1922 to 1924 of three styles of trusses.
Save and rehab the old bridge. So many of the old bridges have been closed and replaced with a new bridge beside it, but that is so common. Let’s be unique and save and use what we already have.
Try to find an entity to take over the historic old bridge; build a new one near it.