National Park Service awards structural study of St. Louis Arch amid corrosion concerns

Structural study planned for St. Louis Arch

ST. LOUIS — The National Park Service has awarded a contract for a structural study of the St. Louis Gateway Arch after newspaper reports about possible corrosion problems.

Officials for the Park Service say they have hired Northbrook, Ill.-based structural engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates to perform the study on the 630-foot-tall monument to westward expansion.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported recently that the Arch was showing corrosion. The paper says there are no short-term safety concerns, but repairs could be expensive.

Tom Bradley, superintendent of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, says the push for a study was under way before the articles were published. Still, he says they have helped raise awareness.