Despite earlier estimates it would take five to seven days to reroute Highway 5 traffic from the old Hurricane Deck Bridge onto a new span, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials now say the road will only be closed for "15 or 20 minutes" once the new bridge is built.
Bob Lynch, MoDOT engineer, said the finalized plans for replacement of the aging structure calls for a new bridge to be built "about three feet west of the old bridge."
"The contractor we hired (American Bridge Company of Overland Park, Kan.) presented us with a plan that does not call for moving either structure," he said.