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The following is a brief of the story. For the full version, see the Tuesday, Nov. 17 print edition of the BDN.
The MKT Bridge over the Missouri River isn’t the only bridge in the Boone’s Lick that faces an uncertain future. With MoDOT’s proposal to remove the Highway 5 viaduct in Howard County, nearly 30 people gathered at a public meeting held by the New Franklin City Council Monday night. Preston Kramer, a MoDOT official, was on hand to field questions and concerns that New Franklin residents brought to the meeting.
The viaduct, which MoDOT considers to be in “fair condition,” is being proposed as a candidate to receive federal funding. Following the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minn., MoDOT was awarded $26 million dollars to address state-wide bridge issues. MoDOT estimates that it would take $1.3 million to remove the viaduct and replace it with a straight stretch of highway.
In order for MoDOT to submit a proposal to remove the bridge the New Franklin City Council would need to vote to approve the plan. Even with a positive vote, bringing the bridge down would not be definite. With $26 million to spread throughout the state, MoDOT will have to look at each candidate and determine which are most in need of repair and allocate the money accordingly. While Kramer said that the viaduct would be a likely candidate he could not guarantee that its removal would be certain.
MoDOT has said that the viaduct has safety, structural and functionality issues. The bridge was built in 1939 as a means to separate highway traffic from the MKT railroad. Kramer said that while the viaduct is not unsafe it wasn’t meant to handle the flow of today’s traffic.
“It’s not unsafe,” Kramer assured the people. “If it were unsafe we’d close it tomorrow.”
The following is a brief of the story. For the full version, see the Tuesday, Nov. 17 print edition of the BDN.
The MKT Bridge over the Missouri River isn’t the only bridge in the Boone’s Lick that faces an uncertain future. With MoDOT’s proposal to remove the Highway 5 viaduct in Howard County, nearly 30 people gathered at a public meeting held by the New Franklin City Council Monday night. Preston Kramer, a MoDOT official, was on hand to field questions and concerns that New Franklin residents brought to the meeting.
The viaduct, which MoDOT considers to be in “fair condition,” is being proposed as a candidate to receive federal funding. Following the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minn., MoDOT was awarded $26 million dollars to address state-wide bridge issues. MoDOT estimates that it would take $1.3 million to remove the viaduct and replace it with a straight stretch of highway.
In order for MoDOT to submit a proposal to remove the bridge the New Franklin City Council would need to vote to approve the plan. Even with a positive vote, bringing the bridge down would not be definite. With $26 million to spread throughout the state, MoDOT will have to look at each candidate and determine which are most in need of repair and allocate the money accordingly. While Kramer said that the viaduct would be a likely candidate he could not guarantee that its removal would be certain.
MoDOT has said that the viaduct has safety, structural and functionality issues. The bridge was built in 1939 as a means to separate highway traffic from the MKT railroad. Kramer said that while the viaduct is not unsafe it wasn’t meant to handle the flow of today’s traffic.
“It’s not unsafe,” Kramer assured the people. “If it were unsafe we’d close it tomorrow.”
