Jackson to replace another bridge

The City of Jackson, which saw completion of Hubble Ford Bridge in July and expects its West Mary Street Bridge and Sidewalks initiative to be finished next month, is about to embark on its third bridge project in the just a year.

Jackson's Board of Aldermen on Monday, Feb. 6, approved an expenditure of $34,800 to Cape Girardeau's Koehler Engineering & Land Surveying for engineering design phase services for Sunset Bridge Replacement Project.

The existing bridge, which connects North High Street (U.S. 61) to Brookview Street at the entrance to Sunset Hills subdivision, was built in 1964.

While it is not the oldest span in the municipality, Sunset Bridge received Missouri Department of Transportation's worst rating during biennial bridge inspections conducted in the city in January 2022, according to city engineer Anna Bergmark.

The span, according to MoDOT, sees 1,000 vehicles per day on average and remains safe to traverse by pedestrians and motorists despite its deterioration.

A new bridge will have the same dimensions — two 12-foot-wide vehicle lanes — but will have an added feature: an 8-foot pedestrian walkway on the east side with a barrier curb.

According to the document prepared by Koehler, a dedicated funding source to build a new Sunset Bridge has not been determined.

Koehler pledges to provide final design documents — plans and specifications — for bidding and construction.

Bergmark said a new Sunset Bridge is expected to be built in 2026.