University's $1.6 million pedestrian bridge too low

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri-Columbia's unfinished $1.6 million pedestrian bridge over busy Providence Road is nine inches too short for traffic clearance according to federal guidelines, officials said.

School officials are talking with the Missouri Department of Transportation about whether exceptions to the guidelines might be granted, said Phil Shocklee, director of campus facilities.

The bridge, which links Faurot Field on the east side of Providence Road with the university's athletic facilities on the west side, was supposed to be 17 feet above the pavement.

Shocklee said a combination of design and construction flaws put the height of the west southbound lane at 16 feet, 3 inches.

Off by nine inches

Tractor-trailers are typically about 14 feet high. But oversized loads, such as rigs carrying heavy equipment, can be much higher.

The rest of the arched bridge meets federal height guidelines, he added. But the west southbound lane is on a hill sloping up to the north and west, making adequate vertical clearance for oversized loads a concern, Shocklee said.

"That's where we need to get back with MoDOT," he said. "What is the absolute minimum?"

Chuck Sullivan, an area engineer with the state Department of Transportation, said exceptions may be granted to the Federal Highway Administration guideline for 17 feet of clearance beneath pedestrian bridges.

Federal funds are paying for 80 percent of the bridge, with the university athletic department paying the balance.

Some work on the bridge's west side has stopped, but the school still plans to open the covered span sometime in August.

Missouri's first home football game is Sept. 7.