Transport council OKs adding Jackson bridge to TIF program

In a procedural move, replacement of Jackson's Sunset Bridge, built in 1964 and one of the county seat municipality's oldest spans, has been formally added to 2024-27 Transportation Improvement Plan.

Board members of Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) voted unanimously Wednesday, Oct. 18, to add the current 42-foot-long bridge as a tax increment financing (TIF) amendment to a plan previously approved June 21.

As a condition of the approval, SEMPO said public comment on the estimated $568,750 project will be sought.

Municipal Public Works director Janet Sanders reported the lightly traveled thoroughfare saw an average daily one-way volume of 232 vehicles in 2022, according to Missouri Department of Transportation statistics.

Because of U.S. 61 improvements, which began Oct. 1 and shut down a stretch of the highway from near the municipal pool entrance to West Mary Street, the span has seen additional traffic of late.

"I think there is some increase in the use of that bridge, maybe not as much as we had expected, but there is definitely more traffic crossing now," Sanders said.

Using the bridge allows motorists to get to uptown Jackson by turning onto Brookview Street, Francis Drive, Greensferry Road and North Hope Street and avoiding the construction zone.

A MoDOT grant, a regional bridge program award, will be used to pay for approximately 88% of the estimated bridge replacement, with the city responsible for funding the remainder.

As to a timeline, Jackson's Board of Aldermen previously discussed moving up Sunset Bridge to a higher priority given the nearby U.S. 61 work, which is anticipated to continue until November 2024.

During an August aldermanic study session, city administrator Jim Roach said work to replace Sunset Bridge may commence before the Deerwood Drive roundabout project.

"We may leapfrog Sunset over Deerwood and do it during the Highway 61 construction because the bridge replacement may be less impactful for motorists. We're still deciding this, nothing firm yet, but we may accelerate Sunset and get it done during the 61 project," Roach said at the time.

Other news

A formal groundbreaking for Chester Bridge replacement has been set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, according to remarks made Wednesday, Oct. 18, by MoDOT officials to SEMPO's board of directors.

Construction cranes, bulldozers and other equipment have been put to work behind Chester Bridge since Labor Day, marking the official start of the project to replace the 1940s-era span.

Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which approves MoDOT projects, selected Ames Team on March 4 as design-build contractor to replace the span at an estimated cost of $284 million.

Chester Bridge has two 11-foot lanes and carries 7,000 vehicles per day over Missouri Highway 51 and Illinois Route 150 across the Mississippi River between Perry County, Missouri, and Chester, Illinois.

The current truss bridge was originally constructed in 1942 and rebuilt 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 more than 80 years.