EUREKA STRONG MISSOURI
EUREKA, Mo. – 5 On Your Side is taking a closer look at a 90-year-old bridge in Eureka that’s been rated as one of the most dangerous in Missouri.
Despite the potential danger, nearly 1,000 cars drive across it each day, and experts say it’s in dire need of replacement.
If you’ve ever gone to Six Flags, you’ve probably never noticed the small one lane Allenton Bridge just South of I-44.
But if you live in one of the nearly 400 homes on this side of the tracks, you know it well, and know it can be difficult to navigate during peak traffic times.
“It’s been a problem for many years,” said Brett Cox who has lived in the Ashton Woods neighborhood for about 5 years.
He crosses the Allenton Bridge to get to I-44 every day, “It’s not in the best shape for sure.”
You can just take one look, and see the bridge is just old he said, “You can see how the superstructure is crumbling and has exposed rebar.”
And that’s not the only exposed rebar on the bridge.
You can see the old bridge supports have been filled in, but there is still crumbling where the supports meet.
“None of this meets current standards, the railing, the ability of pedestrians to walk across the bridge,” Cox said.
You can see daylight through the bridge wall.
A 2015 study rated this bridge as just two-percent sufficient.
“Vehicles tend to rub against the side of the bridge, they also have been known to rub against each other from time to time,” he said.
And those aren’t the biggest issues, with hundreds of homes on this side of the tracks, the nearest fire station is just across the interstate, but there’s just one problem.
“The bridge itself is not wide enough for a fire truck to pass over.”
On a morning like this, several cars could be stopped on the bridge at any given time, “But just the sheer weight of a fire truck getting ready to fight a fire– as you can see the weight limit is ten tons.”
Prop E is on the April third ballot in Eureka.
Voters will be asked to approve a half-percent sales tax for public safety along with bridge and road infrastructure.
Posted: Jan 30, 2018 9:41 PM CSTUpdated: Jan 30, 2018 10:53 PM CST
Flooding in downtown Eureka. Credit: KMOV
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Saturday, March 3 at 8 AM – 2 PM
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Six Flags St. Louis Parking Lot 4900 Six Flags Rd Eureka, MO 63025 |
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The Eureka area’s first known inhabitants were Shawnee Indians on the banks of the Meramec and even today artifacts can be found as evidence of their past occupation of the area.
The Missouri Pacific Railroad was opened to Franklin (now Pacific) on July 19, 1853. It is said that as the builders of the railroad track came around the bend on the east side of the present site of Eureka and looked westward at the level land with no rocks and very little dirt to move they cried out, “Eureka!”, which translated from Greek means “I’ve found it!”. This is how Eureka received its name.
Eureka was laid out as a village in 1858 by Strodt and Shands of St. Louis. Some of the early families in Eureka were Lorenzo Votaw, Thomas Thomas, George Hornecker, Edward William Johnston, Major Beale (his son Dr. J.B.H. Beale) and James and Peter M. Brown.
In 1890, Eureka was a prosperous village of about 100 homes surrounded by fine fruit and agricultural land. The country roads to Crescent, Big River, Antire, Bald Hill, Glencoe, Allenton and Clifty Creek all centered here and Eureka had to her credit at this time a Catholic Chapel, a Methodist Church, a Post Office, a Freemasons’ Hall, three stores, a district school, two blacksmiths, a wagon maker, a saloon, and a fresh air camp for poor & orphaned city children. In 1900, the Children’s Industrial Farm began operating and later became Camp Wyman. Camp Wyman, now known as Wyman Center, is still operating camp programs for underprivileged children.
The first high school class was held in 1909 in Eureka. Eureka-based schools over the years have provided education to children from many areas including Fenton, Creve Coeur, Manchester, House Springs, Cedar Hill, Allenton, Eureka, Glencoe and others. Today, the City of Eureka is served by the award-winning Rockwood School District.
Over the years, a number of disasters have hit Eureka including floods, tornadoes and a number of major fires. Such disasters led to the formation of the Eureka Volunteer Fire Department in 1945, when they constructed a firehouse and acquired equipment. In 1970, the Eureka Fire Protection District was formed and now serves a 79 square mile area. In 1972, the first ambulance was acquired by the District to serve the area that was made possible by citizen and community organizational efforts.
In 1954, the City of Eureka was incorporated as a 4th-class city with a land area of approximately 2.7 square miles. Over the years, the City has had a number of successful annexations and today is a City of approximately 9.35 square miles. The population of the City has grown: 817 in 1950; 1,134 in 1960; 2,384 in 1970; 3,862 in 1980; 4,683 in 1990, and 7,676 according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The City of Eureka’s annual budget has grown from approximately $3,400.00 in 1954 to over $4,000,000.00 today.
In 1970, the Six Flags – St. Louis Amusement Park was constructed and serves as a major tourist attraction in the Midwest. An average of two to three million people visit Six Flags St. Louis annually. The presence of Six Flags – St. Louis and the community’s proximity to the City of St. Louis has influenced and spurred growth in the Eureka area.
EUREKA STRONG MISSOURI 