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"Now that we have federal highway and MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) approval, I'm hoping to get everything going this fall or winter," said Zimmermann.
Now that the Church Street bridge is complete, the Park Road bridge is in the worst condition of any bridge in the city limits, Zimmermann added.
He estimates that project will cost about $450,000 to replace the bridge. He added that he will seek bids for a Washington Avenue pedestrian bridge The Park Road bridge is west of the exit from the Splash-N-Swimplex parking lot and southeast of the Sunset Health Care Center.
While preparing for work on the bridge, city officials discovered that the county owned a strip of land adjacent to the bridge. The county owned the land because at one point it operated what was referred to as a "poor home" where Sunset Health Care Center is now located.
The city signed a 100-year lease with the county to use the property in 1961. The county "deeded over" the property over the summer.
Zimmermann noted that Park Road will be closed "for a period of time" while the bridge is replaced.
Sidewalk Project
A 80-20 cost share project to install 10,600 feet of sidewalk along Independence Drive is slated to begin next year. The walkway will extend from Washington Avenue south to Highway 50. The estimated cost is $345,000 and the local match will be approximately $69,000.
Once the Independence Drive sidewalk is complete it will be a portion of a several-mile-long loop of sidewalks and walkways that also includes Washington Avenue and future plans to Main Street.
Main Street
The Main Street project is scheduled for 2010-11 and also will be funded as a 80-20 cost share project. The estimated $1.23 million project is expected to cost $245,000 locally and $980,000 at the federal level.
Last year the city hired Cochran Engineering to seek a federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) grant. The grant will fund renovations to 2.2 miles of Main Street from Highway 47 to Springfield Avenue.
The scope of the project includes a 2-inch asphalt overlay, concrete base repairs, new sidewalks, bike path striping, signage and traffic signal improvements.
Cochran officials noted that sidewalks on Main Street do not meet Americans With Disabilities Act requirements and also are tripping hazards; the plan is consistent with long-range city plans and the pavement is in need of repair.
Because construction of the project is about four years away, the grant application will be broad enough to make changes to the project scope as needed, said Zimmermann.
