MoDOT to close, repair Route 54/50 ramp bridge

Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: 
MoDOT will close the eastbound U.S. 54/63 and US 50/63 eastbound exits at the tri-level early in the second quarter of 2023 to work on the bridge over U.S. 50. Shown here is traffic passing through the intersection Monday. During that time, drivers will not be able to exit US 50 to go northbound on US 54/63 to cross the Missouri River bridge. And motorists looking to take the US 54 exit to go westbound on US 50 will be unable to make that turn, either.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: MoDOT will close the eastbound U.S. 54/63 and US 50/63 eastbound exits at the tri-level early in the second quarter of 2023 to work on the bridge over U.S. 50. Shown here is traffic passing through the intersection Monday. During that time, drivers will not be able to exit US 50 to go northbound on US 54/63 to cross the Missouri River bridge. And motorists looking to take the US 54 exit to go westbound on US 50 will be unable to make that turn, either.

The U.S. Route 50 ramp and bridge to eastbound Route 54 will close for a month next year as the Missouri Department of Transportation makes repairs.

MoDOT released details on the $285,000 project, currently in planning stages, Monday. The department is repairing the bridge deck and laying new asphalt after a routine inspection identified the need.

"In order to extend the life of the bridge, we like to get these repairs done early and not wait until we have to close them and do it," MoDOT Project Manager Mia Peters said.

MoDOT inspects all Missouri bridges every two years and then ranks them based on the need for repairs, Peters said, and "this one just came up."

Peters said the bridge, built in 1964, is absolutely safe to drive on and the planned work is routine maintenance. MoDOT performs rehabilitation on every bridge in the state from time to time, she added.

The project involves milling off the existing bridge surface, making deck repairs and then laying a new asphalt surface.

Peters said the repairs will likely extend the life of the bridge 15-20 years. The bridge had a similar deck repair project done about 20 years ago, she added.

"It comes time where it needs to be done again," Peters said.

Peters said the department will open the project up for contractor bidding as early as February. The contract would then be awarded by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in March, according to the department's anticipated project timeline.

Peters said the contractor would start sometime between mid-April and Aug. 1. The bridge passing over Route 50, as well as the Route 50 and Route 54 exit ramps onto the bridge, will be closed for 30 days while the work is being done.

Traffic will not be interrupted along the nearby Route 54 overpass and drivers will still be able to exit Route 54 to Route 50.

MoDOT has identified three alternative routes for motorists to use while the bridge is closed. The detours range from less than half a mile to 0.9 miles.

Peters said she isn't expecting any complications with the project taking place in a high traffic area.

The bridge had a daily average of 7,365 drivers in 2021 and an average of 8,109 drivers on weekdays, according to MoDOT's traffic volume map.

The department will post changeable message boards two weeks before the project starts, as well as detour signs diverting drivers around the project.

"We're going to do our best to keep the public informed," she said.

Peters encouraged drivers to buckle up, keep their phones down, slow down and pay attention around work zones to keep workers and other drivers safe.