By Gary J. Groman, a.k.a. The Ole Seagull
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| B-10 Alternative with new bridge to Branson Landing. |
At the recent Partners in Progress meeting, held on Dec. 20 in the Hollister Town Hall, Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley said that there are some concerns among Branson’s elected officials regarding the construction of a new bridge over Lake Taneycomo. Her comments came during a discussion about the best course of action to take regarding the problems posed by the traffic congestion and the deteriorating deck condition of the Business Highway 65/MO 76 Bridge across Lake Taneycomo (the bridge) between Hollister and Branson.
During the discussion, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) District 8 Transportation Project Manager, Chad E. Zickefoose, said that he thought that the Dec. 6 meeting between MoDOT and officials from Taney County, Hollister, and the city of Branson was very productive. He pointed out that as a result of the meeting MoDOT has agreed to delay any sort of construction work on the bridge and intersection at its eastern end until the Fall of 2009. He said, “We are essentially delaying the bid opening on the project a year to give us a little more time to look at funding options and things.”
Zickefoose went on to point out that Kirk E. Juranas, MoDOT’s District 8 Engineer, has been in discussion with the folks in Jeff City and with MoDOT’s Cost Share Committee to see whether or not there is a viable chance that some sort of cost sharing from the state would be available for the bridge. He expressed his optimism that some cost sharing funds would be available.
According to Zickefoose, MoDOT is basing any alternative actions to the original plan of rehabbing the current bridge and the original round-about on the recommended alternative B-10 in the MoDOT Valuation Engineering Study that has just recently been completed. That alternative provides for the construction of a new bridge just to the north of the current bridge that would connect to Branson Landing Boulevard. While the new bridge is being constructed the current bridge would remain open. After the new bridge is completed and operational the current bridge would be closed for the better part of a year for deck repair and rehabilitation.
Zickefoose said that if $18 million is used as the projects cost and MoDOT cost shares at a 50 percent level that brings the remaining cost to be financed to $9 million. Of that $9 million, MoDOT’s District 8 would allocate the approximately $4 million that it was going to put into the original bridge rehab and round-about project leaving a gap of about $5 million to come from other sources.
In stating the city of Branson’s current position on the bridge situation and the B-10 alternative specifically, Mayor Raeanne Presley summed it up by saying, “There is not an absolute consensus among our board that this is the right thing to do.” While echoing the thanks of the local entities to MoDOT for the extra decision making time she went on to express some of the concerns of Branson’s Board of Aldermen.
In amplifying on the boards concerns she said, “My board did have some concerns about the traffic impact as it heads into downtown Branson.” She said that the Branson Convention Center has just opened and that the downtown area was in the process of adjusting to the effects of that traffic. Mayor Presley also pointed out that the city’s planned traffic improvements for the downtown area had not incorporated a second bridge and that many of the aldermen wanted some time to study the downtown traffic patterns as relates to the impact of a second bridge.
The mayor also expressed the city’s concern over the physical tie-in and the costs involved with that tie-in at the western end of the bridge where it joins with Branson Landing Boulevard. MoDOT’s Chad Zickefoose said that the current estimates for the project, “Includes the cost of fully building the bridge across the lake and ties into the end of the four lane section on Branson Landing Boulevard. Branson City Engineer David Miller pointed out that it was more than just joining two roads together. Among other things Miller was concerned with access to the camp ground, Long Street [Branson Landing Boulevard], flood plain issues, etc.
Currently, a meeting between MoDOT and the various local government entities involved in the bridge project is scheduled for Feb. 6. At that time it is anticipated that the local entities will have decided on what they want and the actual procurement of the funding for the project can proceed. MoDOT Project Manager, Zickefoose pointed out that between now and then he would be meeting individually with each of the local entities involved, including the city of Branson.
