After months of speculation and delay, the City of St. Louis has set March 14 at 5 a.m. as the official date for the closure of the Grand Bridge. City officials held a press conference March 1 to announce the closure. When students at the University return to campus from spring break, they must adjust to the closing by using alternative routes. Grand Bridge carries around 30,000 vehicles a day and serves as the main link between the Saint Louis University Frost campus and the Health Sciences campus.
Changes in previously announced closure dates were largely due to construction on Compton Avenue and Vandeventer Avenue, which the city is encouraging motorists to use as alternative routes. The Compton Bridge that runs over I-64 had been closed for renovation to ensure the road could meet the demands of displaced motorists, and was reopened March 1.
The existing bridge will be closed for traffic from Chouteau to just south of the I-64 ramps and the project may take up to two years to complete, but Kara Bowlin, press secretary to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, said the city hopes to reopen some traffic lanes in 14 months.
According to Paaige Turner, associate provost of the Frost Campus, the University is as prepared as it’s going to be for the bridge reconstruction project. Turner is a member of a Grand Bridge Closure ad-hoc committee, which is a group of faculty, staff, administrators and students planning for the closure.
The goal of the committee and of the University is to minimize disruptions from the bridge’s closure, Turner said. Part of this planning included working with academic units and student schedules.
“I think the students’ voice is most honest,” Kripa Sreepada, SGA Senator for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, said. Sreepada was asked to serve on the committee since the beginning of the fall semester.
“When it comes to things like classes, the committee needs student input in what classes are being offered. They just really need our opinion on what’s working.” Sreepada said.
All students received an e-mail last fall prior to class registration to help them plan their courses with the bridge closure in mind. Turner said the University has worked to relocate several classes for the 2011-2012 academic year and worked with students during the advising and registration period to ensure students allowed sufficient time to travel to their classes.
The University also faced a challenge with testing and rerouting the University shuttle system that carries students between the Frost Campus and Medical Center. Tom West, director of Mail, Distribution and Transportation Services, said new shuttle routes have been identified and a schedule will soon go into effect. The department will be replacing the signage of the affected stops to notify students of any changes.
One major change to the Grand route, which starts at the Busch Student Center, is that the shuttle will not stop at Reinert Hall on its way to the Medical Center. Joe Stumpf, coordinator of Transportation Services, said this stop will be discontinued due to high
traffic near the I-64 ramps and students will need to walk to the BSC to board the shuttle.
Transportation Services tested several routes and asked for student feedback. The new routes will begin at the Frost campus, take Forest Park Avenue to Compton, then continue on to the shuttle stops on the Health Sciences campus. The express shuttle will utilize this route to take students directly to the corner of Caroline Street and South Theresa Avenue.
“This [plan] is what we are going with and with that we will see how it works, how much the traffic changes and what the patterns will be,” Stumpf said. “If we need to make adjustments, we will do so.”
When Metro announced the MetroLink stop will be closed for two to three weeks, Sreepada said Turner immediately distributed an e-mail to the University community informing them of the change.
“I think the committee is off to a good start because they’ve been proactive for months now,” Sreepada said. “Essentially they are doing the best they can and we have to just cross our fingers and hope for the best.”
The $22 million bridge reconstruction project also includes plans for an additional $7 million renovation of the Grand MetroLink station. The station was expected to remain open during the entire reconstruction process, but Turner said Tuesday the University learned the station will be closed for certain periods.
“We’re working with transportation services to identify if there’s anything we can do to support people using Metro,” Turner said. “The city is preparing transportation options as well.”
MetroLink train service to the Grand station will be suspended on the weekends of March 19 and 26, when demolition begins. Passengers may be shuttled from the Central West End to Union Station stops on these weekends.
Metro will construct a temporary extension to the current platform so passengers may wait for trains in an area safely away from the overhead bridge work.
Metro is asking passengers to use the Union Station stop during the first three weeks of the reconstruction.
Metro officials said passengers will be notified well in advance of any additional service impacts.
The city will begin placing detour signs this week so the public can begin finding alternative routes.
“It is also extremely important to note that the on and off ramps to I-64 north of the bridge will remain open during the construction of the new bridge,” West said.
Once completed, the new bridge will feature two traffic lanes in each direction and specific turn-out lanes for busses and shuttles to reduce hazards.
The bridge will also have separate bike lanes and a larger walking path, which Turner said will allow students to be able to walk or bike between campuses more easily and safely.
The University is also collaborating with the city on a new streetscape, which will include a landscaped median, new lightning and additional signage.
“It’s going to be a challenge for the next year, but this is a decision the city has put into place that will benefit SLU immensely,” Turner said.
