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Issue: 1037 Date: 7/8/2010
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全美第三大橋 聖路易密河橋2014年竣工
密州 伊州政要聯合主持破土典禮 密河河畔新地標誕生
New Mississippi River Bridge: What𠏋 Up?
You may have noticed ?the long-awaited new Mississippi River Bridge project is well underway.
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| 計劃中興建之密河橋炫麗夜景 |
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【時報訊】橫跨密西西比河，連結密蘇里州聖路易城區與伊利諾伊州東聖路易之密西西比河橋，今年2010年4月19日在密州、伊州政要聯合主持下舉行破土典禮。這座耗資六億七千萬元之密河橋完工後，將是全美國第三大此一類型之橋梁，為聖路易城區密河河畔再添新地標。
出席19日破土典禮之各界貴賓包括密州州長，密州美國參議院Kit Bond,密州美國眾議員Russ Carnahan，聖路易市市長Francis Slay等十餘人，共同主持開工破土。
密河橋將使得聖路易城區天空線更加壯觀，全長2770呎，主橋1500呎，橋身比河面高460呎，相當於2/3拱門(Arch)高度，是城區第七高建築，兩旁橋墩為400呎之電纜塔，比Alton市Clark橋大兩倍，長兩倍。橋體基座圓身11.5呎，直徑90呎，是聖路易地區40年來首次之大型橋粱工程。
整座橋梁每年照明費用為192萬元，加上營運維護費用5萬元，將由密州工務局與伊州工程局共同承擔，創造雙贏局面。
New Mississippi River Bridge: What𠏋 Up?You may have noticed ?the long-awaited new Mississippi River Bridge project is well underway.
All in all, there are about 30 contracts that make up the $670 million new Mississippi River Bridge project. Not only is construction of the massive project on track, but also so far, with the work underway, the project is a winner when it comes to workforce and DBE goals --- exceeding the 18% goal originally set by MoDOT and IDOT. Hats off to both DOTs.
In Missouri, this past weekend I-70 was shut down to demolish and remove the St. Louis Avenue bridge as part of the continuing work on the Missouri approach to the bridge. According to Project Director Greg Horn, we𠑥l see a new St. Louis Avenue bridge open by early September. And, it was just a week ago that the bridge project met its first construction milestone with the June 18th opening of the reconstructed Madison Street bridge over I-70 --- a project that came in on-time and $250,000 under budget.
On the Illinois side, work continues with work on the relocated I-70 corridor at full pace. Plans are underway for a new, fully-directional interchange between relocated I-70 and relocated IL 3 that will provide better access to residents of Metro East communities. Construction of a new pedestrian bridge near 15th Street in East St. Louis to allow access between Miles Davis Elementary School and the Emerson Park MetroLink station over I-64 is underway, as are finishing touches on a new roundabout at 18th Street. Work continues on improvements between 18th and 20th streets on St. Clair and Baugh Avenue and the Exchange Avenue bridge project over I-55/70 will start soon with scheduled demolition in August.
You can also see 60 archeologists at work in Illinois, too. This summer, the Illinois Transportation Archeological Research Program ?a joint IDOT-University of Illinois Intergovernmental Program ?is fully engaged in finding artifacts from the Mississippian culture that resided along the river from 1000 to 1300 AD at the project site. Pottery shards, evidence of cook fires and even the burnt frame of a house are clues to the ancient civilization and culture being uncovered by what is one of the largest convocations of archeologists in the nation at work today on a single project.
With the river level up, it𠏋 been in and out of the water for the joint venture of Massman Construction/Traylor Brothers/Alberici Constructors (MTA) at work, verifying their foundation design for the main span. By drilling a column 11.5 feet in diameter 90 feet into bedrock, pouring concrete and applying test loads, MTA is making sure bed rock can handle the loads they think it can. Assuming everything goes as anticipated, MTA will be able to use fewer foundation columns and make them shorter saving both time and money on the project.
No question, when it opens in 2014, the new bridge will be a significant enhancement to the downtown skyline. Rising 460 feet above the river, the new bridge will be the third largest of its type in the U.S. It will be two-thirds the height of the Arch and the seventh tallest structure in downtown. It will help frame and complement the important work now underway to create connections and transitions from the City and the Arch grounds to the river.
MoDOT and IDOT will provide functional traffic and operations lighting for the bridge, but aesthetic lighting requires financing outside the established $670 million budget for the project.
A special Task Force of RCGA𠏋 Bridge Committee, chaired by long time RCGA Bridge Committee Chairman Bruce Holland, president & CEO of Holland Construction Services, has been looking into finding the $1.925 million in capital costs to light the bridge and an additional $50,000 annually to pay for ongoing operating and maintenance costs. We may have the opportunity to 𡤧apture?DOT grant funding to help light the bridge, but we will need civic investment to match those funds. This is an important opportunity to step up and make the most of an important improvement in our region𠏋 infrastructure, especially in conjunction with the civic efforts underway with the Arch and the Riverfront.
The $670 million New Mississippi River Bridge project will build the first new river crossing in the St. Louis region𠏋 downtown core in more than 40 years. When completed in 2014, the focal point of the overall project ?the new cable-stayed bridge ?will be the third largest facility of its type in the U.S. and the seventh tallest structure in downtown St. Louis.
The new bridge will be 2,770 feet long; with a main span 1,500 feet in length. From its deck, the bridge𠏋 two 400-foot cable-supporting towers will stand two-thirds the height of the Arch. The new bridge will rise 460 feet above the river. The main span is twice the length of the main span of the Clark Bridge in Alton, and will be nearly twice the height of the Clark Bridge.
The new bridge will be a significant enhancement to the downtown skyline and complements the work to create connections and transitions from the City and the Arch grounds to the river.
MoDOT and IDOT will provide functional traffic and operations lighting for the bridge. Aesthetic lighting requires financing outside the established budget of $670 million.
Capital cost for aesthetic lighting is $1.925 million. In addition to capital costs, an annual operating and maintenance cost of $50,000 also must be funded. To bring an element of sustainability to the project, paying for annual operating costs of the aesthetic lighting through the generation of alternative energy (solar, wind, or hydrokinetics) and selling the power 懀o the grid?(using net metering) is being pursued.
U.S. Department of Transportation Enhancement Grants in Illinois and Missouri will be pursued for up to 80% of capital costs. Additional funding from other sources will be required to match grant funding and cover operating costs.
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| Rendering of new Mississippi River Bridge with aesthetic lighting |
密州、伊州政要聯合主持破土典禮 |
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| Dignitaries symbolically join Illinois and Missouri soil (April 19, 2010) |
密州美國參議員Kit Bond致詞 |
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| U.S. Senator Kit Bond, Missouri |
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