ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Private contractors removed half a bridge before a woman drove off it into a creek and died during Tuesday's flooding, St. Louis County officials confirmed with 5 On Your Side.
The bridge, in the area of Interstate 55 and Bayless Avenue, runs over Gravois Creek and was under construction when floodwaters rose, according to the St. Louis County Department of Transportation & Public Works. The construction project had been ongoing since September and the county had hired a private contractor to do the work on its behalf.
There were no guardrails around the bridge blocking people from driving into the water when 5 On Your Side crews were at the scene on Tuesday.
Editor's note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
Multiple people in the area on Wednesday told 5 On Your Side crews they felt the woman's death could have been prevented if cement barriers had been erected at the recently removed portion of the bridge, including the man who reportedly witnessed the woman drive off the bridge into the creek to her death.
Billy Aburadih, the manager at a nearby BP gas station, said he noticed the car go into the creek at around noon and called 911 right after. He was heartbroken to learn a woman had died, but said there were no signs or retaining walls blocking the hole to the creek construction workers had left behind.
A nearby resident also told 5 On Your Side that she had concerns with the construction project before the flooding, and said she won't drive on the bridge after the woman's death.
St. Louis County Public Information Manager David Wrone wouldn't say whether the bridge removal played a role in the woman's death and declined an on-camera interview with 5 On Your Side.
Construction on the bridge is expected to be completed by 2025, but workers didn't report to the site on Wednesday and no estimated time for work to resume was given.