Railroad-themed music played as the City of Springfield got ready to begin the kick-off event for the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge rehabilitation project Wednesday morning.
The project is a long time coming – the bridge spanning 13 Burlington-Northern Railroad tracks between Chase and Commercial Street -- closed in 2016 due to structural issues.
The project faced costs that were higher than expected, but, in the end, funding was put in place.
Mayor Jeff Schrag spoke at the event and called it "momentous."
"For more than a century, the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge has connected more than just two sides of the tracks," he said. "It's connected neighbors, generations and given a deep sense of place that runs through our entire community and, in fact, the entire metropolitan area."
Zone 1 Springfield City Councilwoman Monica Horton called the footbridge an icon and a symbol of her part of the city.
"It symbolizes our rich history, entrepreneurial spirit and resilient character," she said.
C-Street business owner Lyle Foster said the footbridge continues to be a key element of the area’s identity and key to its success.
“We are incredibly excited to see our beloved bridge come back to life,” said Foster, “and we hope it will do so in a way that exceeds our imagination. There are many ways to describe the importance of the bridge to our street and our region, and frequently I use the word iconic.”
He said many memories have been made at the bridge since it was built in 1902, and there are countless ones to come.
“And we can say today, the footbridge is back,” he said as a few cheers erupted in the crowd of about 120. “I’ll say that again. The footbridge is back.” That was followed by louder cheers.
City leaders, C-Street representatives and representatives of Branco Enterprises, which is rehabbing the bridge, spoke at the event. At one point, the speeches paused while a portion of the bridge was removed with a crane and lowered to the ground.
Sean Thouvenot, vice-president of Branco Enterprises, Inc., said one of the questions he gets often is "what were you thinking bidding on that project?"
Thouvenot called the bridge "an icon in Springfield," and he knew they needed to be part of saving it.
Mary Collette, a long-time C-Street advocate, called the project a new beginning and a reset, and she's ready to plan a big party for when the bridge reopens next year.
"[The bridge] is about yesterday and today and moving forward," she said, "but preserving the story of that which is...actually the story of Springfield, because it was the railroad that has made Springfield the diverse economic center that we are today."
The bridge is being taken apart so work can be done on the ground and then will be reassembled. Nicholas Edelman, professional engineer for the City of Springfield Public Works and the project manager for the bridge rehab said he expects the bridge spans to be reinstalled over the tracks later this fall.
Completion is set for early 2026.
Project funding
- $8 Million – Direct appropriation from the State of Missouri’s fiscal year 2024 budget
- $400,000 – Allocated funding from the ¼-cent Capital Improvement and 1/8-cent Transportation sales taxes
- $2.5 million – Bond funding
- $50,000 – funds raised by Commercial Club of Springfield Missouri
- $2 Million – BNSF Railway funding agreement to raise the footbridge three feet for protection of the bridge structure and to better facilitate railroad maintenance.
