YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
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The construction team behind the multimillion-dollar rehabilitation of the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge plans to temporarily take down the historic structure as part of the work.
That announcement was made as part of a construction preview event yesterday at the Commercial Street market pavilion area, near the bridge, according to a news release. Officials say work will begin in May.
"Due to the fracture-critical nature of the bridge and the variety of rehabilitation work required, the construction team ... determined the safest and most efficient strategy for rehabilitation of the historic footbridge is to disassemble the bridge and rehabilitate it on the ground before reconstructing it later this year," officials with the city of Springfield said in the release.
Branco Enterprises Inc. and Great River Engineering Inc. are working with the city's Public Works Department as the construction team behind the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge project. The project website lists the financing as follows: an $8 million direct appropriation from the state of Missouri's fiscal 2024 budget; $2.5 million in bond funding; $2 million from the BNSF Railway Co.; $400,000 from the city's quarter-cent capital improvement and one-eighth-cent transportation sales taxes; and $50,000 from C-Street supporters.
The project is slated for completion in early 2026, according to the release. The dismantling of the bridge and its temporary relocation to the BNSF railyard is expected in early May, and elevators at the north and south approaches to the bridge are slated to be added as part of the project. Branco has started removing bridge decking and conducting spot abatement of paint and rivet removal.
Last month, Springfield City Council accepted $2 million from BNSF Railway to cover most of the cost of increasing the clearance between the bridge and the railway by 3-4 feet, according to past reporting.
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
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That bridge needs to be housed in plexi glass. When I first went on spfld. City Council. we accepted a million plus dollar grant plus city money to repair that bridge. I knew how many pot holes we had and how many sidewalks we needed, but I am a preservation advocate, so I voted yes. 12 years later as I left City council, we were working on grant money again because it was too rusty to use and was closed again. It got the funding, was repaired and now it is closed again because it is too rusty to use and once again millions of dollars are being spent to repair it again. Some one should dig into home much has been spent on that bridge in the past 40 years. Many people would be shocked to learn of its' repair history.