Residents get answers on Chester Bridge project

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What is exactly happening with the Chester Bridge project? Residents had a chance to find out and ask questions of those involved as the Missouri Department of Transportation held a community briefing June 23 at the Perryville Higher Education Center.
“We are informing the public on the progress that we made in replacing the Chester Bridge,” Chester Bridge Project Director Brian Okenfuss said.
He noted that the briefing was well attended as 12-15 people were in the room at any given time.
“We have had a great turnout,” Okenfuss said. “We have had members of the public and local elected officials have showed up as well.”
The beginning stages have preparations have started with the overall process.
“We completed surveys, we have also tested the soil and coordinating with the different regulatory agencies in preparations for the Request for Proposals that will be released later this year,” Okenfuss said.
The Request for Proposals will be released in August or September, but physical work will soon be seen as Highway 51 will be reduced to one-lane starting on July 5. The upcoming maintenance project will rehab pavement and make some minor structural steel repairs to the bridge itself. Temporary signals will be in place to guide motorists through the work zone. Weather permitting, work is anticipated to be completed Thursday, Dec. 1.
“We want to make the bridge last until we are ready for the new one,” Okenfuss said.

The Chester Bridge has two 11-foot lanes and carries 7,000 vehicles per day with approximately 25 percent being commercial motor vehicle traffic. It connects the cities of Chester, Illinois and Perryville, Missouri across the Mississippi River via Route 51.
The current truss bridge was originally constructed in 1942 and was re-constructed in 1944 after a severe storm destroyed the main span. The bridge has allowed motorists to travel both east and west across the Mississippi River for 80 years.
This truss bridge has 14 spans for a total length of 2,827 feet. There are two main spans of 670 feet each. The bridge accommodates two lanes of traffic and is 22 feet wide with a vertical clearance of 19 feet 6 inches.
Over the course of eight decades, the Chester Bridge has become less functional for modern vehicles. Although the bridge is safe for travel, this aging structure is considered to be in poor condition. MoDOT is continuing to monitor the bridge. The last inspection occurred in the fall 2021.
Okenfuss stressed the importance of the bridge and why it needs to be replaced.
“The Chester Bridge is not in good condition and is a vital link between Chester and Perryville,” he said.
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved an amendment to the FY2022-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to fund the Chester Bridge Replacement Project (J9P3857) during its meeting on Sept. 9, 2021. In addition, the MHTC approved the Southeast District’s proposal to complete the Chester Bridge Replacement Project using the design-build project delivery method. The design-build method will allow industry input on both the design and construction of this work.
The estimated cost of the replacement project is $189 million. The Illinois Department of Transportation committed $63 million toward the cost of a bridge replacement in its FY2022-2027 Rebuild Illinois Highway Improvement Program.
A contractor will be selected in March 2023 with the Chester Bridge replacement to be completed in Dec. 2026.