St. Louis County outlines 2029 timeline and federal funding for Widman Road Bridge replacement

St. Louis County transportation staff on Wednesday presented damage findings and a replacement plan for the Widman Road Bridge (Bridge No. 338), saying a competitive federal grant will cover most construction costs and that the project cannot proceed to construction until necessary easements are acquired.

Misty Bell, the county’s transportation development analyst and moderator for the town hall, said county inspectors found exposed steel and potholes in November 2025 and that the county installed steel plating and reduced the bridge to one-way traffic to preserve safety. “The federal contribution will account for approximately 80% of the construction costs,” Bell said, citing an estimated federal share of about $2.3 million and a county contribution of roughly $1.2 million.

The county outlined a schedule that staff said begins preliminary engineering work in June 2026, runs property-rights acquisition through July 2028 and plans construction to start in February 2029 with completion later that year. County staff repeatedly cautioned that the property-rights phase historically takes the longest on similar projects because it requires appraisals, owner outreach and, in some cases, environmental or agency reviews.

Residents at the webinar urged faster work and asked about interim fixes. One participant said, “I don't think that three years to get this issue addressed is acceptable.” Dan (county staff), responding on condition monitoring and safety, said the bridge “is inspected on a monthly basis” and that staff will close the structure if it becomes unsafe before the planned construction date.

Staff described traffic management already in place: the bridge was shifted to one-way to avoid overload on compromised spans and the county modeled a temporary traffic signal at the site, deploying a temporary signal change in early April 2026. Carmen Road was selected as the primary local detour because the county maintains it and can deploy message boards and traffic control there more efficiently. The county noted that Manchester Road signal changes would be a Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) decision because that route is not county-owned.

Several residents suggested alternatives such as a military-style temporary bridge or replacing the span half at a time to preserve traffic. Staff said a temporary military crossing would require additional right-of-way, private-property approvals and significant cost and could add a year or more, while a half-at-a-time replacement was not feasible here because the damaged beams are offset and would not safely carry traffic if only one side remained intact.

Bell told attendees the county prepared a solicitation for engineering services in December 2025, selected a consultant by January 2026 and expects the consultant to begin design work in June 2026. She advised residents that the slideshow, recording and transcript will be posted to the county Department of Transportation and Public Works project page within days and provided contact information for area engineer Ray Gooic for follow-up questions.

The county did not take any formal action at the meeting; staff presented the findings, the expected schedule and funding status and answered residents’ questions. The county said it will continue inspections and monitoring and will adjust interim safety measures if conditions worsen. The slideshow and a recording will be posted to the project web page in the coming days for further details.