Two-hour detours due to flooding may eventually become a thing of the past for motorists who use the Chester Bridge daily.
According to Buddy Desai, project consultant manager for CH2M, the recent flooding will be examined as part of the environmental study CH2M is conducting as part of the bridge replacement project.
"Addressing road closures due to flooding is a 'need' element of our study," he said. "The recent event adds to the need to address the issue."
The bridge was closed on May 4 due to high water from the flooding Mississippi River, the third time - and second in 16 months - in the bridge's 75-year history it had been closed due to flooding.
The bridge reopened on May 10.
The key element of closing the bridge is the Horse Island Chute on the Missouri approach, which goes underwater when the river level exceeds 44 feet. Raising and extending the approach past the levee wall is believed to be on the Missouri Department of Transportation's wish list for the new bridge.
For Gilster-Mary Lee, which has six plants on both sides of the Mississippi River, bridge closures mean a loss of thousands of dollars a day in productivity and travel headaches for workers.
"The real problem is not the bridge itself, it's the entrance on the Missouri side," said Gilster-Mary Lee President, CEO and General Manager Don Welge. "I've told (MoDOT) that if they don't have the money to build a new bridge to raise the entrance on the Missouri side over the levy."
Welge noted that Gilster-Mary Lee has 500 employees who either live in Illinois and work in Missouri or the other way around.
"We have many trucks a day that run between the plants," he said. "When the bridge closes, we have a lot of trucks every day that would have to go to Cape to get around."
Welge said he had a meeting with MoDOT and U.S. Congressman Jason Smith, who represents Missouri's 8th District, the latter of which stating he wasn't sure where the estimated $175 million to replace the bridge would come from.
"From what I understand from the people I talked to, federal funds would have to get involved," Welge said.
CH2M and MoDOT have also announced that the bridge study website, www.chesterbridgestudy.com, has gone live and the two agencies are asking all those who use the bridge to fill out the survey on the website.
"The approach to this study will help ensure the recommended improvements to Chester Bridge, balance costs, safety, commuter needs, environmental impacts and the study's goals," a description on the website says. "Public involvement is critical to this approach and helps build awareness and understanding.
"Ultimately, your input will play an important role in providing guidance toward the study's final outcome."
