City staff brief commission on Kirkham Street culvert project: federal funds, timeline and detours

City staff updated the Webster Groves Traffic Advisory Commission on Jan. 12 about the Kirkham Street culvert replacement project, saying the city is awaiting right-of-way clearance before obligating roughly $1.2 million in federal funds and advertising for bids.

A city official said right-of-way certification from the federal agency is the immediate prerequisite to advertise; once that occurs the project will be put out for competitive bids and staff will bring a recommendation to city council. "We have about $1,200,000 of that, for the project this, federal fiscal year," the staff member said.

Staff outlined the anticipated construction window and traffic impacts: if right-of-way and procurement proceed on schedule, construction could begin in late March and extend into late summer, with the intent to complete work by the end of the federal fiscal year. The consultant's current schedule estimates 140 calendar days for the contract, though staff said some contractors could complete work faster if incentives were included; staff also noted such incentives can increase cost and affect the procurement strategy.

To limit neighborhood congestion, staff said they will route much of the through traffic to Manchester and use electronic message boards on higher-volume approaches; coordination will be required with neighboring Brentwood and state DOT partners on signage and messaging. Commissioners raised concerns about detour routing and the effect on localized streets and asked staff to include clear navigation and public-notice plans.

What happens next: staff will notify the commission when right-of-way is cleared and will return with an updated procurement and construction schedule; members asked that public messaging, detour routing and mitigation steps be included in that update.