Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has been working in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to select the preferred alternative for the bridge, which connects Missouri Route 51 and Illinois Route 150 at Chester.
Over the course of its seven decades, the Chester Bridge (below) has become less functional for modern vehicles. The bridge is now in poor condition and too narrow by today’s design standards.
The preferred option has been selected following a multi-year environmental study of the existing crossing and alternatives for maintaining, rehabilitating or replacing it. The work included study of flooding-related impacts at the river crossing, the cost to improve the bridge’s condition, ways to widen the bridge and how to maintain transport connectivity within the region.
The preferred alternative is the ‘Near Upstream Alternative (U-1)’ – a new crossing next to the existing bridge. Funding for design and construction has not yet been identified or programmed.
The comment period concludes on 17 May 2021.
