UPDATE: Contractors working for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are scheduled to begin replacing the deck of the Gasconade River bridge on Route 89, south of Linn, next week.

Preparation work is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 28. Over the coming months, crews will replace the deck of the bridge. This project will require the road to be closed for up to four months, starting on March 7. Boat traffic on the Gasconade River will be also be limited under the bridge during construction. 

West Plains Bridge and Grading was awarded a contract earlier this year to redeck the bridge. The contact also includes the rehabilitation of the Route 100 bridge over the Gasconade River in Gasconade County, the rehabilitation of the Route 42 bridge over the Gasconade River in Maries County, and the replacement of the bridge deck on the Route 89 bridge over Swan Creek.

All four bridges are included in Governor Mike Parson’s $351 million Focus on Bridges program, which will repair or replace 250 bridges across the state.

Work is weather permitting and could be delayed. For more information about these project or other transportation-related matters, please call 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/central. Follow the MoDOT Central Missouri District on Facebook and Twitter for project updates.

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Three Gasconade River bridges scheduled for rehabilitation this summer will impact travel for residents in Gasconade, Maries and Osage counties.

The first, the Highway 89 bridge connecting the Belle and Linn communities, is scheduled for deck replacement and other upgrades “tentatively” beginning Monday, Feb. 28. Missouri Department of Transportation officials said this will require complete closure of the bridge for up to three months. A signed detour route covers 47.7 miles using U.S. Highway 50, Route A (Bland to Mt. Sterling), Highway 89 and Highway 28.

The 89 bridge will receive a new deck which will be two feet wider than the existing surface. New barriers, a new approach slab and upgraded guardrails are also planned for the bridge constructed in 1964. Conditions of the existing deck are listed as “moderate to severe” for “deterioration” in the overview from MoDOT’s Highways and Transportation Commission.

The improvements come with an estimated $2 million price tag.

Gasconade River boat traffic will be limited under all three bridges during their construction and MoDOT will alert the public with updates through signs, news releases and social media.

Rehabilitation of the Maries County Highway 42 bridge near Vienna is scheduled to begin Monday, April 4. The 42 bridge will receive deck repairs, a new approach slab and upgraded guardrails. 

The 42 bridge will have one lane open to traffic throughout the project and motorists will be guided through the work zone by temporary signals.

Also scheduled during the summer of 2022 is rehabilitation of the Highway 100 bridge over the Gasconade at Gasconade. Once started, the Gasconade bridge project is expected to take up to three months.

The 100 bridge will received a protective coating to its substructure and a recoat to the structural steel in its superstructure. The expected traffic impact is the bridge will be reduced to one lane during daily working hours with flaggers guiding motorists through the work zone. Both lanes will be open to traffic during non-working hours.

All three bridges have reached the point where rehabilitation is necessary to extend the life and usability of the bridges, according to MoDOT officials.

All three bridges are included in Gov. Mike Parson’s $351 million Focus on Bridges program, which is intended repair or replace 250 bridges across the state.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission on Dec. 1, 2021, awarded the contract for the project to West Plains Bridge and Grading, which submitted the low bid of  $3,190,000. This project was awarded in combination with the Osage County Highway 89 bridge redecking project over Swan Creek, just north of the 89 bridge crossing the Gasconade.

Two other bids on the project came in at $3,468,707 (Lehman Construction, LLC) and  $3,946,073.80 (Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.).