Work begins on Chester Bridge replacement

Construction cranes, bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment have been put to work behind the Chester Bridge since Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, marking the official start of the project to replace the 1940s-era span.

Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which approves Missouri Department of Transportation projects, selected Ames Team on March 4 as design-build contractor to replace World War II-era Chester Bridge 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 was 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.

Over the course of eight decades, Chester Bridge has become less functional for modern vehicles, according to MoDOT and Illinois Department of Transportation officials.

Although the bridge is considered safe for travel, the aging structure is considered to be in poor condition.

The new span will be built upstream from the existing structure and will be twice as wide as the original truss bridge.

According to a MoDOT news release, Ames Team's proposal "was deemed to be of the apparent best value to taxpayers based on the project goals. The team will construct a three-tower, cable-stayed bridge, and completion is anticipated by no later than Dec. 1, 2026."

Ames Team is made up of specialists from Burnsville, Minnesota-headquartered Ames Construction, according to Ames' director of communications Ken Brandt.

According to previous Southeast Missourian reporting, an approach span to Chester Bridge, Horse Island Chute Bridge, will also be replaced.

MoDOT has indicated traffic will continue to use the existing Chester Bridge during construction with no "long-term lane closures" anticipated.

More information on the multi-year Chester Bridge design-build project is available at www.modot.org/chesterbridge or by calling MoDOT's Customer Service Center toll-free at (888) 275-6636.