A full inspection of the Interstate 70 bridge over the Missouri River at Rocheport will require lane closures from March 25 through April 3.
Missouri Department of Transportation officials said the inspection is in preparation for rehabilitation work on the bridge scheduled for 2020.
Only one lane of I-70 will be closed in one direction each day. The closures are scheduled during the day at non-peak travel times.
The schedule is as follows:
• March 25-26 — One eastbound lane of I-70 will be closed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• March 27-28 — One westbound lane of I-70 will be closed from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
• March 29 — One eastbound lane of I-70 will be closed from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• March 30-31 — One westbound lane of I-70 will be closed from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
• April 1 — One eastbound lane of I-70 will be closed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• April 2-3 — One westbound lane of I-70 will be closed from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
The work schedule is weather permitting. Any changes in the schedule will be announced on modot.org and on MoDOT’s social media channels.
Drivers may experience traffic delays on the bridge and should allow extra time to reach their destinations. All drivers are encouraged to use the zipper merge technique on the approach to the work zone, which means using both lanes all the way to the merge point, then taking turns to merge into the open lane.
When motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area and then alternate in “zipper” fashion into the open lane, the overall length of the traffic backup could be reduced by 40-50 percent, according to MoDOT officials. More information about the zipper merge can be found at modot.org/zipper-merge.