Chester Bridge group meets again

As the first year of the Chester Bridge environmental assessment study gets closer toward completion, the 13-member Community Advisory Group convened for the second time on Oct. 12 at Perryville City Hall.

During this meeting, Missouri Department of Transportation and CH2M officials revealed more details about recent traffic accidents and inspection reports on the 75-year-old, World War II-era bridge.

According to crash data provided by MoDOT and IDOT for the period 2011-2015, 46 accidents occurred along the section of roadway from the intersection of Missouri Route 51/Perry County Road 238 and Illinois Route 150/Taylor Street.

Of those accidents, one was fatal, one resulted in a "disabling injury," 10 more resulted in minor injuries and the other 34 were property-damage-only accidents.

More than half of the overall accidents were said to be head-on or opposite-direction sideswipe incidents.

"Potentially attainable, in part, to narrow travel lanes," MoDOT noted in a summarized safety analysis.

It has been well documented that the Chester Bridge, and the adjacent Horse Island Chute Bridge, has two 11-foot wide lanes with no shoulders.

Should a new bridge be the chosen option, MoDOT is suggesting two 12-foot-wide lanes with 8-foot-to-10-foot-wide shoulders.

"Shoulders would allow bicyclists and pedestrians to cross the bridge without using the vehicular travel lanes," MoDOT noted.

MoDOT notes that the current lack of shoulders creates potential safety issues with disabled vehicles, emergency services and roadway and bridge maintenance. It also has a negative effect on bicycle resources, as the bridge is along U.S. Bicycle Route 76 - which has its western terminus in Missouri.

"We're hugely supportive of (the bridge project)," said Perryville Mayor Ken Baer, who is a member of the CAG. "It's something we need.

"(Chester and Perryville) work back and forth together with our emergency responders and that cooperation is impossible without that bridge."

As for the condition of the bridge itself, MoDOT's 2016 inspection report - the latest available - lists the bridge in poor condition (rated a 4 out of 9) in the areas of deck condition, superstructure condition and substructure condition.

The bridge was also said to be "scour critical" with unstable foundations. Bridge scour is caused by the removal of riverbed material due to swiftly-moving water from around the bridge piers.

Placement of riprap (large rock) around the bridge piers is traditionally seen as a countermeasure to bridge scour and protects the riverbed from erosion.

"The bridge is safe, that's just terminology that MoDOT uses," said CH2M Vice President Buddy Desai, referring to the "scour critical" designation. "These are all things you start seeing when the bridge ages, which makes it a good candidate for fixing or replacing."

MoDOT officials also made note of topics for further analysis and screening, such as roadway alignments and compatibility with potential bridge types; Coast Guard and FAA requirements, and the potential for prehistoric and historic sites in the study area.

Specifically, MoDOT mentions the remains of the "Belle of Chester," a steamship that was built in 1878 and ferried passengers to and from Chester to Claryville, Mo.

The sunken wreck, located in the Mississippi River on the south side of the bridge, has been seen during low water levels.

Desai said the Coast Guard will be drafting a letter soon regarding span lengths and suggested pier locations for a potential new bridge, which may affect whether or not the current bridge can be reused in place.

"The Coast Guard is in the process of reviewing the information we provided and will release the span lengths soon," he said. "That might impact the existing bridge if they change the span lengths."

MoDOT and CH2M are expected to announce their reasonable alternatives in early 2018, followed by the second public meeting next spring. The final preferred alternative - the option MoDOT will ultimately move forward with - and the results of the environmental assessment are expected to be announced in late 2018.

The final public hearing on the project will take place in early 2019, with the study completed that spring.

"The overall project is, of course, a great project and a cooperation between the two cities and two states," Baer said. "The study group is working hard and these meetings are quite informative and the public needs to be informed about this."