ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A year ago, Illinois and Missouri launched construction of a new Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River, a project is set to cost a combined $531.6 million with the goal to improve one of the country's critical freight corridors.
If you've driven by the bridge over the past year, you've seen the massive cranes in the river and the progress being made on the structure.
"We're progressing quite well right now, we're on schedule and on budget," said Joel Cumby, Project Implementation Engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation on Total Information A.M. Tuesday.
The Chain of Rocks bridge was originally built in 1966, being two lanes in each direction, but it had narrow one-foot shoulders that pose safety concerns for vehicle breakdowns and first responders. The structure also frequently needed constant maintenance and repairs due to it's age.
"It's nearing the end of it's design life," said Cumby. "The traffic has increased significantly. It was built estimating 20,000 vehicles a day for 1975. Today, it is seeing more than 50,000 vehicles per day, with a lot of it being heavy truck traffic. This bridge got additional repairs that are necessary, the roadway geometrics are substandard so we just decided it needed to be replaced."
The project will replace the bridge with two structures that have wider shoulders that can accommodate the eventual expansion of I-270 to three lanes in each direction. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.