Aldermen for the City of Eureka, Mo., passed a resolution on Tuesday urging the repair or replacement of the Meramec River Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Missouri Department of Transportation closed the historic but deteriorating bridge in late 2009 because of safety concerns. Park visitors now have to use a combination of Interstate 44 and frontage roads to access the park.
Because of economic constraints, MoDOT will not allocate funds to replace the bridge, Eureka City Administrator Craig Sabo said. Unless someone comes forward to take over the project by February 2012, MoDOT plans to remove the bridge, Sabo said.
The board wants to bring together agencies to renovate or replace the bridge, Sabo said. MoDOT reports on its website that if action isn’t taken soon, the bridge could collapse into the Meramec.
The resolution isn’t binding. But it does add pressure to the state or other parties to find some sort of solution for the bridge and keep Route 66 State Park more accessible.