Cochran was contracted by the St. Louis Bridge Company to assist in the St. Louis Gateway Arch Grounds project. The $380 million dollar project is to transform and connect the grounds around the Gateway Arch to make a safer more enjoyable experience when at the monument. The design creates a new park extending over the Highway I-44 that will allow visitors to walk from the Old Courthouse to the Arch grounds and on to the Mississippi riverfront, without a curb or stair step in their way. This project is a monumental achievement for the City of St. Louis and will have a lasting impact on the economic, social, environmental, recreational and educational fabric of the entire bi-state metropolitan region.
This project started in 2009 with an International design competition called “Framing a Modern Masterpiece: The City + The Arch + The River 2015”. The design competition winner was announced in September 2010 and was awarded to the internationally known Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Groundbreaking for the CityArchRiver 2015 project was August 2, 2013, and construction began on this public-private partnership. On October 28, 2015, the Gateway Arch will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of this monument.
The scope of the project for Cochran was to record the horizontal and vertical As-built location of over 30 retaining walls on the project for the fabrication of railings. In addition to the As-builts Cochran was contracted to stake out the location of over 250 pedestrian stanchions for pedestrian walkways. Phase 1 has been completed and Phase 2 is currently in progress.
To learn more about the St. Louis Gateway Arch Grounds project visit the following link City Arch River 2015.