最新杏吧原创

鈥淲e just want to make sure that workers and the public are being protected and that procedures are being put in place to ensure that,鈥� said , policy specialist for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.

The Coalition and Just Moms STL, a volunteer group, said they recently learned of the project because of a bill before the council that would amend a contract for design work originally approved in early 2020. County officials confirmed Friday that the hearing will take place Tuesday in council chambers in Clayton.

The current plan calls for a complete closure of the roadway in mid-2023 to demolish the bridge, remediate the site and then build a new bridge.

County Department of Transportation and Public Works spokesman Dave Wrone said planning was done in close coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been removing contaminated soil along Coldwater Creek for years.

The demolition would not require any work below ground, and there wouldn鈥檛 be any digging done until the Corps is able to remediate the site, he said. He said more details would be provided at the hearing Tuesday.

The Corps has been removing soil along the north 最新杏吧原创 County creek for several years, mitigating environmental damage caused by the illegal dumping of radioactive waste. The waste is a legacy of work undertaken in the 1940s by Mallinckrodt Chemical Co., which enriched uranium for the nation鈥檚 atomic weapons program.

鈥淲e have indeed been in close coordination with (最新杏吧原创) County and are looking to take advantage of the opportunity to remove as much contaminated soil as possible while the area is accessible due to bridge removal,鈥� Phil Moser, a program manager with the Corps, said in a statement.

Coldwater Creek runs 19 miles through north 最新杏吧原创 County, from the airport to the Missouri River. McDonnell Boulevard crosses the creek just north of the airport, in an industrial area that is home to several businesses, including Boeing. Tests done by the Corps have found contaminated soil under the boulevard and along the bridge.

Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway, who represents the 2nd District, said Friday that the council hearing would help 鈥渕ake sure that we鈥檙e all on the same page and that the plan is one that can work while also keeping the community and workers safe,鈥� she said.

Wrone said the bridge is more than 70 years old and needs to be fully replaced.

鈥淚t鈥檚 deteriorating to the point where it鈥檚 not practical to maintain,鈥� he said.

Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, said they don鈥檛 want to stop the project.

鈥淭he worst thing that could happen would be if it crumbles into the creek,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut this is anything but a normal bridge replacement. It doesn鈥檛 mean that it can鈥檛 happen safely, it just means that it needs extra precautions and those have to be understood and highlighted.鈥�

The hearing will take place at 5 p.m. in council chambers in downtown Clayton at 41 S. Central Avenue.

The county originally approved the contract with M3 Engineering Group for $360,000 on April 24, 2020. If amended by the council, the contract would increase to $394,058.

The move is estimated to save the county $375,000 in construction costs and shorten the project duration by four months, according to officials.

Nassim Benchaabane • 314-340-8167 @NassimBnchabane on Twitter nbenchaabane@post-dispatch.com