Bridge alternative sticks a fork in riverfront development

By NewsPress Now

The Interstate 229 double-decker bridge looms large on the western edge of St. Joseph. In the not-too-distant future, this bridge will exist only in personal memories and on social media pages devoted to the “good old days.”

It’s debatable how good those days really were. Downtown’s demise roughly coincided with the bridge’s full opening in the 1980s, so it’s illogical to suggest that the double-decker structure needs to be saved as a revitalization mechanism for the city’s historic core.

Nor is interstate status – a casualty of the bridge’s removal – an essential ingredient for transportation in this area. Plenty of cars and trucks move just fine on four-lane highways – the one running from St. Joseph to Hannibal is a good example. Interstate status is often treated as a prestige issue, but people should be willing to let it go as long as the replacement meets core needs for moving freight and local traffic efficiently.

The Missouri Department of Transportation’s replacement for the I-229 bridge comes into sharper focus with an environmental impact study and a public hearing set for Aug. 15. MoDOT’s preferred alternative involves a four-lane, at-grade arterial road built in the same location as the existing I-229 structure.

It won’t loom as large on the horizon, but this replacement for I-229 will impact the city’s business, riverfront and Downtown development for decades to come. When focusing on interstate status or the double-decker design, the public may miss the bigger story.

The four-lane replacement is business-friendly and answers the concerns about moving freight to and from the stockyards area without creating headaches for Downtown traffic. This comes despite findings from MoDOT that existing stockyards traffic tends to access the area from Highway 36 or I-229 south toward Kansas City, meaning I-229 through Downtown is mostly a corridor for local traffic.

The city is giving up on the dream of riverfront revitalization in Downtown St. Joseph. The new roadway’s location is not compatible with the city’s Riverfront Master Plan, but the mayor and City Council members told MoDOT this is now a low priority. That might come as news in St. Joseph after voter approval of a hotel tax for riverfront development. That money is now destined to go north, toward the casino.

Downtown access will be more limited. Existing ramps would close and the new roadway would provide Downtown access from the south on Fourth Street and/or from the north at Highway 59. However, MoDOT’s decision to use a design-build delivery model on this project means more access enhancements – including intersection improvements or grade separation over railroad tracks – could be incorporated beyond the base package of improvements. MoDOT should consider proposals that do more for Downtown.

The long tail of HPI Products limited MoDOT’s options. One alternative called for the construction of a four-lane boulevard east of the existing bridge, which would have left more room for riverfront redevelopment and provided Downtown access points in roughly the same place as they exist today. But the new roadway went through HPI (and other properties) that likely required expensive environmental remediation. MoDOT wisely steered clear of a costly mess that the city and federal government should have taken care of years ago.

It was going to be impossible to find a bridge replacement option that pleased everyone. In prioritizing transport of freight over riverfront and Downtown development, the city, MoDOT and other stakeholders are making the best of the double-decker’s inevitable fade into history.