With a retaining wall on Monroe Street continuing to shift, city staff will remove the wall early next week.
Jefferson City and contractor Sam Gaines will remove the wall in the 600 block of Monroe Street, between Dunklin Street and Whitton Expressway, shutting down that section of the street from 6 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. June 22. The alley that runs parallel to Monroe Street above the retaining wall will be closed beginning today at 2 p.m., according to a city news release.
Drivers can access East Cedar Way from Madison Street.
City staff have monitored the retaining wall on the west side of Monroe Street for several months. The wall moved between one-eighth to seven-sixteenths of an inch out during the last six months, with the wall now overhanging the sidewalk by more than 2.5 feet, Public Works Department Director Matt Morasch said during Thursday's city Public Works and Planning Committee.
"There are definitely some concerns with that wall continuing to move," City Engineer David Bange said.
City staff does not believe the wall is in "immediate danger" of falling down, Morasch said, but weather, drainage or a large vehicle driving over the alley above the retaining wall could put it more at risk.
During Thursday's meeting, city staff did not have an estimated cost for removing the retaining wall and stabilizing the area.
They plan to stabilize the area until the city can afford to reconstruct the Monroe Street corridor, Morasch said.
Last December, the committee discussed improving Monroe Street between U.S. 50 and Woodlawn Avenue, including widening the street to allow two-way traffic and repair a retaining wall. The city also would repair old stormwater infrastructure in the corridor and replace the traffic signal at the intersection of Monroe and Dunklin streets.
The Historic Southside/Old Munichburg District and Neighborhood Plan calls for expanding Monroe Street to allow two-way traffic and parking, as it could be a "gateway entrance" into the neighborhood. Capital Region Medical Center proposed the plan, and the city adopted it last July.
Reconstructing the corridor would cost about $3 million, and the design process would cost an estimated $300,000, Morasch said.
He hopes to provide more information about the Monroe Street corridor reconstruction next month.