AASHTO Journal, 14 February 2014
Officials from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and federal transportation officials recently celebrated the opening of a bridge that reduces congestion, provides a faster route for commuters, and allows for greater safety.
IDOT and MoDOT opened the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge on I-70 in St. Louis to traffic last Saturday (Feb. 8), a connection between the two states. The bridge is expected to carry about 40,000 drivers each day, a number expected to climb to 55,000 by 2030, and reduces congestion by redirecting I-70 traffic instead of having it cross the Poplar Street Bridge, which already carries I-55 and I-64 traffic. The $229.5 million Stan Musial Bridge was the largest of 37 projects included in the $700 million New Mississippi River Bridge program. For the overall New Mississippi River Bridge project, Illinois contributed $347 million, Missouri provided $41 million, and the federal government funded $307 million.
Officials spoke of the importance of the project and what the new connection meant for citizens.
“Thanks to the hard work of our diverse group of trade workers, contractors and consulting engineers who made this project happen, motorists on both sides of the river will have a safer, less congested and faster commute,” said IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider in a statement. “We are proud of the partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation and we sincerely appreciate Governor Pat Quinn’s unwavering support for this important project as part of our vision to transform Transportation for Tomorrow.”
“This is a great day for the region—people who use the Poplar Street Bridge in St. Louis now have another option,” said MoDOT Project Director Randy Hitt.
Spanning 2,770 feet, the bridge stands in the top three longest cable-stayed bridges in the country and was constructed to last more than 100 years. MoDOT reports that more than 10,000 people were there to celebrate the opening of the bridge at last weekend’s event. About 3,500 people participated in a 6K race across the bridge and back.
Additional information on the New Mississippi River Bridge project is available here.
