The City of Jackson celebrated the completion of a new bridge over Hubble Creek between Parkview Street and Cascade Drive in the Jackson City Park during a ribbon cutting celebration on Aug. 16.
The newly opened bridge replaces a low-water bridge, which was located in the same location in the park. Discussions of replacing the low-water bridge started after a five-year-old girl fell off the bridge on May 24, 2020, and nearly drowned. She was caught in a metal culvert under the bridge before being rescued by nearby kids.
Smith & Company Engineers of Poplar Bluff designed the elevated bridge structure, which includes a one-lane roadway and a pedestrian path separated by guardrails.
In January 2022, Putz Construction of Millersville was awarded the construction project in the amount of $549,539. In addition to constructing the new bridge, the contract included removing the former bridge, installing decorative stone, minor electrical improvements and other related improvements.
Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs thanked both Putz Construction and Smith & Company Engineers for their work on the project, in addition to the city staff, park board members and city aldermen who were also involved in the project. “A project like this only happens when everybody comes together and that’s what happened here,” he said, adding that it was a difficult choice for the city to decide to replace the low water bridge.
“We replaced something that was an icon in the park, but sometimes you have to have improvements,” Hahs said. “The key to when you make changes is to do it right. I can’t say enough about this bridge was done right – it looks good, it fits into our park and it’s going to be here for years and years.”
Jackson Park Board President Luke Dry, who cut the ribbon during the ceremony, added that they hope to host more ribbon cuttings as additional improvements are made to the Jackson City Park and other parks run by the city.
“This is a great addition to the park and hopefully there will be many more things here in the next couple of years that we can be proud of and we can showcase in the Jackson parks,” Dry said.
Putz Construction will continue working in the Jackson City Park, replacing the remaining low-water bridge on West Mary Street. Putz was awarded the West Mary Street Bridge contract in July for $1,643,871.
The West Mary Street Bridge project, designed by Cochran Engineering of Union, Missouri, consists of removing the current low water crossing, constructing a new elevated bridge structure including a pedestrian path and guardrails, water and sewer improvements, sidewalks and other related improvements.
Work will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and will include a road closure from North Union Avenue to North Missouri Street. The project is expected to be completed by March 2023.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday, Aug. 16, to celebrate the completion of the new Hubble ford bridge. Photo by Jay Forness
