The longstanding bridge project that was supposed to be wrapped up on Wednesday will now be extended again, but only by a few days.
The Missouri Department of Transportation announced on Monday afternoon, Dec. 14, that the replacement of the two Missouri 10 bridges between Regent Avenue and Saratoga Avenue would now take until Saturday. In the overall scheme of things, it’s not much of a change—just a few days out of more than nine months—but for drivers who have been inconvenienced by traffic changes, additional closures and the official detour through Lawson, it will mean just that many more days of frustration.
Public Works Director Chad Birdsong spoke with MoDOT’s John Casey, SCI, on Monday and learned that there’s still a “good chance” the road may be open before Saturday—maybe on Thursday or Friday. In addition, he said, the bridges’ completion won’t mean the end of traffic reroutes.
“We will keep our traffic reroute up and in place even after they open the highway for them to complete sidewalks on Saratoga and other areas that still need work,” Birdsong said. “Even after it is opened, there may be times where through flagging, traffic will be backed up and it still may be easier to get around through Broadway.”
Local traffic has been using a makeshift reroute using Broadway Avenue, along with various connecting streets that at times have included Saratoga, Temple, Benton, Thompson and Kansas City avenues.
However, the official MoDOT detour—the one that virtually all large trucks should have been using all along—takes motorists through Lawson via U.S. 69, Route D and Route M. Dozens of times, though, semi tractor trailers have attempted to get through, with varying results. Sometimes they’ve managed to make it with few problems, while other times police have been required to help direct the drivers in getting out of their jam. In a few cases, the drivers have damaged public and private property.
At first, police provided direction as a courtesy, but as the project continued for month after month, officers have increasingly been handing out citations to truck drivers, since these drivers passed multiple warning signs advising them that the bridges were out and a detour would be necessary. In at least one instance, where a truck caused significant damage, the driver was arrested and his rig was towed away.
Birdsong added that MoDOT will still be building a wall and sidewalk between the two bridges, and while the current plan is to have the driving lanes open by 8 a.m. Saturday, “the weather will be playing a major factor in completing everything. Please be patient and thanks for everyone’s cooperation.”
City leaders are still planning a ribbon-cutting and reception marking the bridges’ completion at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22.