More bridges closing in ES
The Tiger Drive bridge has already been removed, but the bulk of it should be back in before school starts on Aug. 19. (Photo by Eric Copeland)
By ERIC COPELAND
Managing Editor
 As if the closed bridge at the east end of town wasn’t enough for local drivers to handle, another bridge is now being replaced. And a third will be closed starting next Tuesday, Aug. 3.
The bridge on Tiger Drive between Excelsior Springs High School and St. Ann Catholic Church was closed to traffic Thursday, as city crews began the process of replacing the culvert and putting down a new road surface.
With school looming just a few weeks away, Excelsior Springs Public Works Director Chad Birdsong knows his men are racing the clock to get the project done.
“It might be pretty close,” he acknowledged Thursday afternoon. Some delays in getting started didn’t help, and city workers are also replacing cart paths at the Excelsior Springs Golf Course.
Still, the project is not complicated. Birdsong said if the weather permits, the bulk of the work should be done by the time school begins on Aug. 19. The guardrails may not be finished yet, which could delay the bridge’s re-opening.
The pedestrian bridge to the west of the main bridge will also be replaced, but that part of the project would not play a role in whether the street can be re-opened to vehicle traffic.
During the construction period, traffic is being detoured east to U.S. 69.
But another bridge project will take a little longer.
The Missouri 10 bridge over U.S. 69, on the southbound state route between the Excelsior Village Apartments and McCleary Road, is scheduled to be closed for repairs starting Tuesday. Like the east end bridge, which was closed July 6 and will receive a new bridge deck with PaveGuard, a heating system being tested as an innovative approach using solar energy to prevent buildup of snow and ice on the bridge deck.
The original bridge was built in 1954 and carries more than 8,500 vehicles per day. The closure is expected to remain in place until the beginning of October. A detour that takes larger vehicles north on Business U.S. 69 (also called N. Jesse James Road) to meet up with U.S. 69 near the Excelsior Springs Hospital, is in place, but many local drivers will be more likely to use Crown Hill Road or Kearney Road to get past the bridge project and back onto southbound U.S. 69. Missouri Department of Transportation officials did not confirm on Thursday whether the traffic light at Crown Hill and 69 had been adjusted to accommodate a higher traffic volume.
The east end bridge is on or ahead of schedule, according to the foreman at the site.
H.A. Dickey is fatally hurt in bicycle accident
By ERIC COPELAND
Managing Editor
A man known throughout Excelsior Springs for his generosity and modesty died Thursday evening from injuries he sustained Monday evening in a bicycle accident at Watkins Mill State Park.
Henry “H.A.” Dickey had been removed from life support late Thursday morning, and a funeral director with Bross & Spidle Funeral Home confirmed Friday morning that he had passed away Thursday evening.
Dickey was alone when the accident occurred. According to Judd Slivka, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, an individual hiking on the bicycle/walking trail found Dickey unconscious on the east side of the trail, south of the wooden bridge, at about 8 p.m. Monday. Seeing that he was in need of help, the hiker rode Dickey’s bicycle to the campground, where an ambulance was called.
Slivka said the campground host that night, a retired firefighter, responded to the scene of the accident to try to give first aid even before the ambulance arrived.
Slivka said he knew of no reason for the crash. The north part of the trail is closed for maintenance, but the part where the accident occurred is in better shape, Slivka said. “This is really a tragic incident, as I understand that Mr. Dickey was quite a fixture in the community,” he added.
Dickey touched many lives through his work in the community. On Tuesday, the Standard will feature some recollections. If you have memories you’d like to share, e-mail editor@leaderpress.com or call 637-6155.
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Ad in T&CL was misconstrued
A recent classified advertisement in the Town & Country Leader left some bargain hunters with the impression that a local business was giving away a free product.
The ad, which offered for free several pots purchased from Westlake ACE Hardware, was misread by some who believed that the store itself was offering the merchandise.
The ad was in fact placed by a private individual — whose phone number was included — and Westlake ACE Hardware was in no way connected with the giveaway.
License okayed for liquor store
The Excelsior Springs City Council recently approved a liquor license for a new liquor store in Excelsior Springs.
Show Me Liquor & Tobacco, which lists Dominic Serrone as the managing officer, has been issued a license for original package sales, Sunday original package sales and tasting.
The store will be located at 2300 Vintage Ct., in the space formerly occupied by Tiger Cuts, which moved downtown.
The license was issued conditionally, as long as a state license and business license were also issued. |
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