VIENNA — The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is working out a plan to alleviate residents’ concerns about bridge closures scheduled for later this year, public officials …
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VIENNA — The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is working out a plan to alleviate residents’ concerns about bridge closures scheduled for later this year, public officials said on Thursday.
MoDOT’s announcement earlier this month that it planned to temporarily close Highway 42 and Route AA later this year, each for two bridge rehabilitation projects, sparked worries about how the closures would impact commutes if they occurred simultaneously. The announced plans estimated the Maries River Bridge on Highway 42 would take approximately 94 days, the Fly Creek Bridge on Highway 42 would take approximately 81 days and the Maries River and Little Maries River bridges on Route AA would close the route for a maximum of 128 days.
Each project had a Dec. 1 completion date and an expected contract award date in April.
If each route took the maximum amount of time, and only one route at a time closed, then the entire construction period would last 303 days and would surpass the Dec. 1 completion target by at least a month.
Maries County also plans bridge construction for later this year on Maries Road 213 over Fly Creek.
Local officials, state officials and MoDOT received several notices from travelers who were anxious about the planned closures. On Jan. 16, state Sen. Justin Brown posted a message on Facebook to notify the public that the state had heard their concerns.
“After receiving several emails with concerns regarding the closure of HWY 42 and AA simultaneously I have worked with MoDot and they will be altering the plans and will now only close one bridge at a time,” the post read. “In addition, Maries County is working on a bridge project on County Road 213 over Fly Creek, and we are working with county officials to ensure County Road 213 is not closed during the closure on either Route AA or Route 42.
“These three projects (five bridge structures) will now be constructed one at a time, under one construction contract, with work beginning in 2025 and extending into 2026,” the post continued. “More details about the exact schedule of construction will be available once the contract has been awarded.”
At the Jan. 16 Maries County Commission meeting, County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said the commission had received even more messages from residents expressing their worries about the bridge projects. She had also heard from state Rep. Bennie Cook, who planned to speak with MoDOT about the projects.
Western District Commissioner Patrick Kleffner said he had also talked with Cook about the bridge. Kleffner planned to contact former commissioner Ed Fagre about the status of the county bridge project.
Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said he had gotten an update about a completed environmental study on the Maries Road 213 bridge. The next step would be securing the right of way from surrounding property owners.
Stratman had also been in contact with a couple of people at MoDOT who shared with him the same idea of packaging all five bridges, including the county bridge, as one contract with the stipulation that no two routes could close at the same time. He noted that the county would have to give up some of its power in choosing a contractor for the county bridge because the state would make the final decision, but he suggested the bids could be more competitive by signing up for the larger project.