Agreement reached: Does this mean a new bridge is coming?
Post-Dispatch transportation writer Elisa Crouch is breaking the news that Missouri and Illinois leaders have reached an agreement on a new Mississippi River bridge.
Her early story says:
It has been more than two years since Congress authorized $239 million for a new bridge, which would redirect Interstate 70 traffic from the congested Poplar Street Bridge. Officials from both sides of the river, however, struggled to agree on the scale, cost and financing of the project.
One stumbling block was overcome last spring, when Missouri officials dropped their insistence on tolls as a way to finance the bridge. Illinois was adamantly opposed to tolls. (NOTE: Here’s a link to her updated story.)
Do you count this as good news? Does it mean a bridge will really be built?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
They have been talking this project to death! It has been more than 15 years since the first proposals were made. I am still doubtful it will be built. The photo in the story is not correct. That is the original design from more than 5 years ago. They revised the structure and associated work in 2005 to make it cheaper, only a billion dollars!
I still hope against hope that the bridge design will, despite budget limitations, be an architecturally significant and beautiful design. The original drawings shown with this story of a cable-stayed deck would add immensely to our skyline.
I will be very disappointed if they build another ugly concrete eyesore like the Poplar Street Bridge.
If you’re going to build it, at least go with 3 lanes in each direction. Does another MLK bridge really give us what we’ll need as the Illinois side continues to boom? Better than nothing but talk about typical St. Louis…
I agree with Charles - this thing must have some architectural merit!
Only two lanes in each direction with possible future expansion. Hmmm let’s see, by the time they build this thing it will be congested with traffic. The amount of drivers goes up, not down every day. Do it right the first time and avoid future expansion costs and the headache as with the highway 40 project. That means four lanes each way.
There should also be some thought into putting a Metrolink line down the middle. I hear all of you, this guy is crazy supporting public transportation! Our airport is a joke (not so international, can you fly from the Lou to any international city nonstop?), our highways are a joke, and our public transportation system is 30 years behind. Get some Japanese or European transportation planner over here NOW!
I’m 40 years old, I suspect it will be ready when I retire at 78
It will be built after two of our current bridges fall down and a third is closed.
By that time, the cost to build it will have doubled again!
It will be built as soon as the number one divided by zero is equal to something. It’s funny, that’s about the same time I’ll get the new alley promised me years ago.
2-lanes in each direction…WHAT A WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS. You might as well turn MLK into a four-lane one way and the new bridge another 4-lane one way in the other direction. At least, this would make sense.
Good luck in Illinois passing funding for this. NewsFlash, Illinois is broke and nothing is being passed in Springfield. This bridge should be completed in about 20 years. A 4 lane bridge? Missouri is probably the slowest state in the country right now. Mississippi just pulled ahead of Missouri in being progressive. Pathetic!
It sounds like this thing will be obsolete by the time it’s finished. I blame this one on Governor Blunt and Missouri. They acted like a bunch of bean counters and bureaucrats instead of realizing the importance of keeping Missouri connected to the eastern half of the country. This is not just a bridge to facilitate the Illinois commute.
There are actually times when you have to invest in your infrastructure to remain competitive. They didn’t and the state suffers.