The new Route J/M bridge over U.S. 50/63 near Taos opened for traffic Wednesday evening, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release.
The overpass had been closed since June 2 so the old bridge could be demolished and replaced.
For the most part, drivers were able to access routes J and M during the construction, with the exception of a weekend when the 43-year-old bridge was taken down.
Some minor work and clean-up remain, and traffic may be reduced to a single lane with a flagging operation at various times.
MoDOT Central District Project Manager Bruce Green said the cost for the project is $1.2 million.
"The deck needed to be replaced, and there was cracking on the abutments," he said. "We looked at a full rehabilitation. The overpass was built in 1975 and still had some good sections but not enough to save. It's a steel bridge, and it will have to be repainted. The paint was bad. It's lead-based, and that's a more expensive process to complete. That's what they had to do at the Missouri River bridge."
Replacing rather than rehabilitating is cheaper and quicker, and it should last about twice as long - about 75 years, Green said.
The opening of the new bridge is the latest transportation milestone for Jefferson City's east side. A project to improve the intersections at U.S. 50/63 and Shamrock/Liberty lanes and Lisletown Road and to resurface 50/63 from Shamrock/Liberty Lanes to Lisletown Road is largely finished. However, some signing and guard rail work remain that might require intermittent lane closures.