New $27M Grand Avenue Bridge Design Complete

{rendering of Grand Avenue Viaduct project - provided by St. Louis Board of Public Service}

The Grand Avenue viaduct spanning the valley, railroad yard and MetroLink tracks and connecting Midtown and the Tower Grove area will soon be demolished. A new $27M bridge will take an estimated 14 months to construct. Design plans have been finalized and the new bridge will have fewer traffic lanes, dedicated bicycle lanes, transit amenities, and 12-foot wide sidewalks (currently 4-feet).

The current 1,165-foot bridge carries more than 30,000 vehicles a day and is more than 50 years old. Although there are currently six traffic lanes, the new configuration will have just four with turn-outs for Metro bus service. Currently, buses stop in the far right traffic lane effectively eliminating a traffic lane. This often has a greater role in slowing traffic than eliminating a lane and it leads to unpredictable slowing and stopping.