I wonder if they will configure it so that there is one lane open in each direction. That would make heading southbound a lot easier.

Why did this take soooooo long???? They rebuilt the entire Western half of the Highway 40 project in less time!!!

Dumb Joe,

Govt run project. And people want more govt. Go figure

Finally! Chouteau to Comptom to Highway 40 is (was) time-consuming.

finaly! But they didnt really speed it up, if it will take ‘at least several more weeks’ to open southbound lane!!!!

This bridge took longer because it has to go over Metrolink, Burlington Northern Sante Fe and Union Pacific Railroad tracks. All of these railroads are operational and cannot be stopped for rebuilding our bridge. Otherwise it would have taken less time.

Great point AJ! It’s a good thing the Highway 40 rebuilding is not a gov’t run project. Thank goodness for well run private companies like MoDot… that bridge would be done in six weeks if they were running the show!

It’s about time they finished this project. It has taken forever! Somehow they were able to tear up and rebuild 5 miles of 3 lane interstate in less time than it took these dopes to rebuild a 200 yard bridge. Geeze…

Gazelle,

Isn’t MO-DOT…the Missouri Department of Transportation? When did that become a private company?

superfly tnt and joe: on top of all the train lines and Metrolink, it also took so long because there’s a ton of power lines running in that area. Supposedly Ameren took a lot longer that expected to reroute everything.

It’s been ridiculous. I drive by this bridge 2 times a day and for the last 6 months I have never seen more than 2 people working.

Do it Diva,

Gateway Constructors are the contractors on the I-64 project. They are private companies. MODOT is just overseeing.

With a background in construction, I still don’t understand why they are able to build an entire highway between mason and I-170. But they can’t get a bridge done.

Let’s not forget how MoDOT took something like 3 years to build a bridge over 255 at Telegraph, and something like 4 years to build a bridge over 270 at Olive. As someone who works a block from the Jefferson bridge, it is frustrating and has added time to my commute, but it could be much, much worse. Let’s just be thankful a gov’t road construction project was done in the time promised!

I would not want to ride on a bridge that was re-built in 6 months…..I wish a civil engineer would respond to explain how difficult it is to build a bridge as opposed to a road…

Interstate 64 will be closing December 15, 2008, from Interstate 170 (Interbelt) to Kingshighway. Will drivers’ be able to access eastbound Interstate 64 from Kingshighway? If not where will eastbound drivers’ be able to access Interstate 64 (Hi-way farty).

Yes, drivers will be able to enter eastbound 40 from Kingshighway.

“This bridge took longer because it has to go over Metrolink, Burlington Northern Sante Fe and Union Pacific Railroad tracks. All of these railroads are operational and cannot be stopped for rebuilding our bridge. Otherwise it would have taken less time.”

These are minor obstacles compared to the Warson/Clayton Road and Lindberg overpasses! The new Eastern half will go over Metrolink too, but I bet that won’t add a year to the project. It’s like someone else said, it depends on whether it is a contractor building something or a local government. And like another said, every time I’ve driven by there and that has been almost daily, I see like two guys working and one of them is on a coffee break!!

I just hope the city gave UPS a big tax break for the year their trucks have wasted countless hours and unknown gobs of gasoline trying to get to South St. Louis!!!

Actually Gershenson Construction is building the bridge, not the City. Like the other posters said, the challenge is tearing down a bridge and then building a new one over an active rail yard. Forget MetroLink, a contractor can’t tell a railroad company to stop moving trains through their yard, you need to work around their schedule. Also, there were major utilities on the bridge, none were located on Warson, Lindbergh, and even Compton.

Thanks for your input Jason. Most people here have no idea the coordination it takes to construct over 8-10 active railroad tracks. Forget Metro Link, the real obstacle is the active raillines. Not to mention the major utilities on the bridge.

What does concern me is the new intersection on the North Side of the bridge. I spoke with a UPS employee and they said that when it is complete, they will not be able to make a left turn into the UPS lot when traveling South towards the Jefferson Ave. Bridge. They will have to double back to get back to their lot. If that is true, that makes absolutely no sense for the countless trucks that have to enter that lot.

Will everybody please quit using I-64 as a reference. Gateway Contractors (Actually a coalition of seperate private contractors that includes two local companies) had a right of way all to themselves with very little utitility work, rail crossings and NO TRAFFIC to contend with. Just as important is that the stake holders in the project, state and local governments have the flexibility to open and close a roadway under a active bridge construction, like Clayton Road for example.

Having the road to themselves and the flexibility of the stakeholders is essentially the reason why Gateway Constructors proposed to repave more road and replace all the bridges in two years versus the second offer that was tendered. The second offer was to keep at least two lanes open. However, it would have rebuilt less road and didn’t replace all the bridge in 4-5 years for the same price. Fortunately, Modot does have a clue since everybody on this blog would probably be commenting on how long it is taking to rebuild I-64 while stuck in construction traffic.

As far as Jefferson Street Bridge. First, Going over active rail tracks requires that strict federal safety guidelines be adhered too. Neither the city or contractor has a choice in the matter. Second, federal law gives freight trains the right of way due to interstate commerce and safety considerations (a lot easier to stop a vehicle then a train). Why do you think crossing gates stop vehicles instead of tranis? Thus, work has to essentially stop every time a train comes by and the railroads can dictate that at their will. It doesn’t help when their is sixty plus freight trains a day and metrolink on 10 minute headways. Third, where does the new I-64 go over the metrolink tracks in its construction area? It crosses over Metorlink east of Kingshighway and out of the construction area. Fourth, bridge construction like any other construction involving concrete is a stop and go process. For the simple reason that concrete needs proper time to setup to strength. Typically seven days or more. Their is way around that, significantly increase the cost to materials by using specialized admixtures that speed the process. Fifth, Utilities are always a problem in an urban environement. The contractor let alone the city has no authority to dictate the Ameren’s schedule. Ameren is getting part of the blame for the extended delays on the new transportation center (Greyhound Bus and Amtrak) that finally opened.

So in short, the contractor and the city were at the mercy of Metrolink, Railroads and Ameren. Unfortunately, the railroads have no interest in stopping the movement of their freight for the sake of a quicker bridge construction schedule nor can local governments impede interstate commerce at their will or go around Federal Law govening railroads.

OK, I’ll refrain from using Hwy 40 as a reference. But, it is still absurd that this bridge, or any bridge should take this long. God help us when they start on the Grand Ave bridge. It will be 6 years of hell. Maybe SLU can get the job and have it done in 5 months. They know how to get things done. But, really, when was the last City street project completed quickly. I mentioned in another post about how it took more than year to construct an overpass at the River Des Peres on Lansdowne, by the Shrewsbury Metrolink Station. It also took them more than a year to replace a big sewer pipe below River Des Peres Blvd, between Chippewa and Gravois. The construction area was 2 car lengths long. But the street was completely closed the entire time. WHY SO LONG!!! Are the crews part-timers or moonlighters? Also, what’s going on at Tucker and Washington or at 2nd and Carr Streets (by Lumiere Place)? It looks like nothing to me.