// a href = ./ //

All of the street, bridge and interstate improvements planned for downtown St. Louis are on track to be finished on time.  That was the message from Missouri and Illinois transportation engineers when they briefed the East-West Gateway Council of Governments Wednesday.  

   High water on the Mississippi River has caused some delays for crews building the new River Bridge, but project officials say the work continues and they still expect to finish by early next year.  

   Some of the other projects planned for downtown St. Louis over the next two years include the park that will cap the I-70 depressed lanes, new ramps connecting I-70 and I-55 to the Poplar Street Bridge and a year-long resurfacing project on the MLK bridge.

All of the street, bridge and interstate improvements planned for downtown St. Louis are on track to be finished on time.  That was the message from Missouri and Illinois transportation engineers when they briefed the East-West Gateway Council of Governments Wednesday.  

   High water on the Mississippi River has caused some delays for crews building the new River Bridge, but project officials say the work continues and they still expect to finish by early next year.  

   Some of the other projects planned for downtown St. Louis over the next two years include the park that will cap the I-70 depressed lanes, new ramps connecting I-70 and I-55 to the Poplar Street Bridge and a year-long resurfacing project on the MLK bridge.

Crews working on the New Mississippi River Bridge honored a fallen co-worker with a moment of silence today.

<br><br>

Andy Gammon was working on the bridge one year ago today when a crane tipped over and pulled him into the river. KSDK reports that at 9:55 Thursday morning, the workers took a moment of silence to remember Gammon.

<br><br>

Some lawmakers have proposed naming a stretch of I-70 in his honor.

Crews haven't finished building it, but there's already been a crash on the New Mississippi River Bridge.

It happened about 2:00 Monday morning, when a pickup truck struck an car on Rte 3 in Brooklyn, Illinois. The truck pushed the car onto the bridge.

One passenger in the car was partially ejected. Both that passenger and the driver were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Police are now looking for the pickup driver. He reportedly stuck around long enough to flag down another motorist for help, then took off.

Another local government is weighing in on the debate as to what to call the new Mississippi River Bridge.

KSDK reports the St. Clair County Board will vote tonight to name the bridge "The Veteran's Bridge". There have been proposals in both Missouri and Illinois to name the bridge after Stan Musial. The bridge is set to open in 2014.

A 400 yard stretch of concrete that was recently poured as part of the new Mississippi River Bridge project is now being dug back up. That's because it doesn't meet the Illinois Department of Transportation's code.

IDOT District 8 project implementation leader Jeff Church says the ramp is being torn out and redone because it didn't meet certain safety requirements pertaining to the slope. "The slope that they had was not, high enough," Church said. He said if the slope on a curve isn't high enough, it's hard for cars to stay on the road.

Church told Fox 2 News that the contractor, Fred Weber construction, will absorb the cost of the re-do because it was their mistake. But, he says, it isn't expected to delay completion of the project.

The ramp will connect Illinois drivers to the new Mississippi River bridge when it opens in January 2014.