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New Turkey Creek bridge opens; county schedules ribbon-cutting and installs temporary traffic controls
Summary
Road & Bridge staff reported the newly reconstructed bridge was opened to the public and a ribbon-cutting scheduled for noon the next day at the bridge's north end. Officials reviewed the structure's history and funding and said temporary signage and stop controls will be used to address new traffic patterns.
The St. Francois County Road & Bridge office reported the reconstructed Turkey Creek (Berry Road/Turkey Creek) bridge is open to the public and county staff scheduled a ribbon-cutting at the north end of the bridge at noon the following day.
Road & Bridge staff provided a short history of the crossing: the speaker said the original bridge was constructed in 1925, was deemed unsafe by the state in 2006 and was demolished in 2014 at a cost the speaker quoted as $128,000. The commission approved new construction in 2024; bids were approved in March 2025 and construction was completed in October 2025, the speaker said (00:17:08). The speaker described the project as a $2,100,000 "aqua funds" project and later referenced a $1,800,000 procurement cost-share program, putting the current total project figure at about $3,900,000 as discussed in the meeting (00:17:33).
The county said it installed temporary signage at Turkey Creek and Berry Road and planned to add a "stop ahead" and a stop sign with a "cross traffic does not stop" plaque to make the changed approach more visible to drivers. Staff discussed a few remaining minor cosmetic items and property-owner issues to be resolved before final closeout.
Why it matters: The bridge reopening restores a crossing that staff said saves residents significant travel time on daily commutes and improves emergency response routing in the northern part of the county.
What officials said: "We had our final inspection of the bridge last Thursday," a staff member said, adding that "the bridge was actually opened up Saturday morning" and inviting the public to the ribbon-cutting (00:15:43; 00:16:02).
Context and background: The transcript recounts the bridge's long history and the funding steps described by staff; the meeting record attributes the timeline and dollar figures to Road & Bridge staff but does not include procurement documents or the final project closeout report in the public transcript.
