The Missouri Senate has given first-round approval to legislation that would name the new Mississippi River Bridge under construction in St. Louis after Cardinals’ legend Stan Musial.
Before the vote, Senate Bill 176 was amended to name the stretch of I-70 that will cross over the new bridge for Andy Gammon. He was a member of the construction crew who fell to his death while working on the bridge last year. The measure is sponsored by State Senator Eric Schmitt (R, Glendale).
“When we had the hearing in the Transportation Committee, a friend of (Gammon's) testified…he wanted his friend remembered in some way, and so we just tried to figure out a way to make that happen," Schmitt said. "Naming the bridge after Stan (Musial) and the highway that begins there after Andy (Gammon) seemed like a good compromise and a good way to honor both folks.”
If approved, Interstate 70 from mile marker 248 to the Illinois state line would be named the "Andy Gammon Memorial Highway" and the new I-70 bridge the "Stan Musial Memorial Bridge." The bill needs one more vote before moving to the Missouri House. The bridge and highway names would also need the approval of Illinois lawmakers.
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