From the Ground Up: Jefferson Avenue Footbridge

Owner: City of Springfield
General contractor: Branco Enterprises Inc.
Architect: None
Engineers: Great River Associates Inc., civil and structural
Size: 562 feet in length
Cost: $13 million
Funding sources: Direct appropriation, state of Missouri; quarter-cent and eighth-cent city sales taxes; bond funding; Commercial Club of Springfield; BNSF Railway
Estimated completion: June
Project description: Sean Thouvenot, vice president of Branco Enterprises, said he is getting excited for May 1, when the historic Jefferson Avenue Footbridge – newly renovated and nearly completed – will be illuminated in a ceremony planned as part of the National Route 66 Centennial Kickoff. On display will be the restored bridge plus new elevators and entry points on each end of it, he said, adding, “The walking surface is super improved, instead of wood boards where every third one was missing.” Thouvenot said the whole bridge rehabilitation project has been very challenging, but that’s OK – “I like challenging projects,” he said. The bridge, built in 1902, spans 13 railroad tracks operated by the BNSF Railway. Still to come are plaza improvements on the south end, Thouvenot said, adding that the project also aims to spur development on the north. He added that the project restores an icon and a piece of history. “It’s an impressive structure,” he said.