Concrete Progress on the Old Gravois Road Bridge

Concrete progress was made today on the long-delayed Old Gravois Road Bridge linking Sunset Hills and Olde Towne Fenton. Workers from Pace Construction started early Monday morning pumping tons of cement into place to make the roadway of the new bridge. Using concrete pumps, about 60 trucks full of cement were used to construct the roadway.

Poor weather and river flooding have been the culprit in the bridge delays, frustrating the many business owners in Olde Towne and elsewhere. The old bridge was closed in August 2007 after a St. Louis County inspection found extensive deterioration to the bridge deck and support system.

Demolition of the bridge took several months as unusually high river levels kept workers from tearing the span down. Rain then became a culprit as the project moved into the colder weather of winter, preventing constuction crews from pouring concrete. High winds were the cause of the most recent delay as construction of the bridge deck was anticipated to start last Tuesday. But the winds that day would have made operation of the concrete pumps hazardous, according to city officials. The pumping trucks are used to pump cement from trucks below the bridge and up and over to the bridge deck.  The dangling arms of the pump would have been unwieldy in the winds.

Unusually mild weather Monday, however, along with no winds, allowed Pace Construction to pour the bridge deck today. By noon, workers were closing in on half of the bridge deck poured, expecting to complete the operation by dusk.

The bridge deck is only the latest step toward final completion of the $4.5 million project. It is not expected to open until late August of early September, as there are trim details, some roadwork and landscaping to be finished, as well as a pedestrian sidewalk to be poured next to the vehicle portion of the deck, which will carry two lanes of traffic.