County Plans For Dielman Bridge Work Despite Emergency Vehicle Worries

Next week, St. Louis County officials will open bids on a project that will remove and replace the Dielman Road bridge between Olive and Page, with work expected to begin by June. The county's Department of Highways and Traffic Public Works department is moving ahead with the $600,000 project despite concerns raised by Olivette leaders who are worried about response times for police and fire calls..

In a report prepared for Tuesday's city council meeting, the city Public Works Department said it had alerted county officials to concerns over the ability of emergency vehicles to reach areas near the bridge if it were removed entirely and then replaced.

Olivette Police Chief Rick Knox told Patch he didn't have a problem with the project. Interim Fire Chief Ron Johnson were unavailable for comment. Public Works Director Mike Gartenberg said "it does have a very significant increase on their response time," indicating fire crews leaving City Hall would either have to go to Warson Road or I-170 to circle around the bridge.

"Had we chosen to do the job in “halves” (phases), it would have taken much more time, and cost substantially more money," St. Louis County Public Information Manager David Wrone told Patch via email Wednesday.

"The utility of half a bridge to fire engines – heavy and wide as they are – is questionable. They certainly wouldn’t have been able to pass through the construction area with any sort of speed/urgency," he added.

Wrone said the new bridge would be open to traffic by the end of the summer.