DEARBORN, MO - On March 16, The Missouri Department of Transportation will begin work on its first Safe & Sound Bridge in District 4 at the Route H Bridge over I-29 near Dearborn, MO in Platte County. Crews will close the bridge by Thursday, March 19 for no more than 54 days. Complete bridge closure is necessary to replace the more than 50-year-old structure.
In addition, all lanes of north and southbound I-29 at the Route H Bridge will be closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during bridge demolition beginning Friday, March 20 through Monday morning, March 23. All lanes will be open during daytime hours starting at 6 a.m. Motorists traveling in the area should expect delays, as traffic will be rerouted up and down the ramps at I-29 and Route H.
"It is important to get this bridge repaired and into good condition," says Mary Miller, Safe & Sound project coordinator. "Safe & Sound was developed to repair 800 of our worst bridges, mostly in rural areas, before their condition required MoDOT to further restrict access to the bridge or to close a bridge indefinitely."
Closing the bridge during construction is the quickest, safest and most economical way to get the bridge repaired and reopened. Every bridge that's closed during construction allows us to work on another bridge in need of attention. A detour route will be in place during the bridge closure. Traffic heading west on Route H will be directed to northbound I-29 to the Route DD exit, and back onto southbound I-29 to Route H. Traffic heading east on Route H will be directed to southbound I-29 to the Route U exit near Camden Point and back onto northbound I-29 to Route H.
The Safe and Sound Bridge Program will improve 800 of Missouri's worst bridges in five years. In the Kansas City area, MoDOT will replace or repair 145 bridges, with 15 in the Platte County area. Once the bridge is closed, the contractor has no more than 54 days to reopen the bridge to traffic.
For more information about this bridge repair and the Safe and Sound Bridge Program, please visit our website at http://www.modot.mo.gov/safeandsound/index.htm and click on safe. And sound.
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