A bridge in Jefferson City's Washington Park no longer will handle vehicle traffic after a recent inspection found it was continuing to deteriorate.
Starting today and until further notice, the Ohio Street Bridge, located between Louisiana Avenue and South Boulevard, is closed to vehicular traffic. Because it is in the middle of the park, it will remain open for pedestrian and bicycle use.
"For some time the bridge had a posted weight limit of 15 tons, but the MoDOT inspection downgraded the limit to 5 tons" Jefferson City Operations Division Director Britt Smith said. "At that limit, most vehicles wouldn't be able to cross, and definitely not school buses. We were fearful that people would continue to cross, so we felt that it was prudent to close the bridge to vehicle traffic."
Smith said the city's Public Works and Planning Committee is scheduled to discuss what could be done with the bridge at its meeting Thursday.
"There's nothing in the current budget to replace the bridge," Smith said. "A previous engineering report on the bridge estimated the cost to replace it at $300,000. However, I believe when you add in engineering and other related costs, the final number could be up to $500,000."
Smith recommended area residents use Kansas Street and Nebraska Avenue as alternatives to get around the area.