The city of Joplin will host an open house public meeting from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, on the fifth floor of City Hall, 602 S. Main St., on the demolition of the Pennsylvania Avenue viaduct.
Future options for the area between Fifth and Seventh streets also will be discussed.
Residents are encouraged to attend any time during these hours to view the plans and ask questions about the upcoming construction project. City engineers and representatives of Olsson, the project’s consultant, will be available to talk about the plan.
This demolition will occur before the Missouri Department of Transportation starts the reconstruction of Route 66/Seventh Street from Schifferdecker Avenue to Range Line Road. MoDOT is in the design phase of its project, with anticipated construction to begin in middle or late 2026. The rebuilding of Seventh Street has been estimated at more than $60 million.
It is a concrete beam bridge built in 1929, according to the federal government’s National Bridge Inventory Data. It spanned Willow Branch and part of a warehouse at the time it was constructed. The warehouse building has been demolished since the bridge was closed.
The viaduct was closed in 2019. At that time, city officials said a state inspection rated the overall condition of the bridge as poor. Its substructure condition had eroded from fair in 2013 to serious in 2017, according to inspection reports.
This demolition was included in the capital improvement sales tax, supported by voters in 2024.
In November, the City Council approved a work authorization contract with Olsson for up to $568,250 to obtain engineering services for the removal of the viaduct, as well as replacement and repair of Willow Branch stormwater drainage.
Those unable to attend the meeting who would like to discuss the project can contact Rob Beachner at 417-624-0820, ext. 1543, or rbeachne@joplinmo.org.