The Missouri Department of Transportation is planning a major rehabilitation project next year on the heavily traveled bridges over the Missouri River in Jefferson City.
The repairs and updates to the U.S. 54/63 bridges are regular maintenance procedures meant to extend the lives of the bridges, according to a MoDOT news release.
Work on the eastbound bridge will include repairing the deck, expansion joints and piers, and applying an overlay to the driving surface. Work on the westbound bridge will consist of repairing all its piers.
This project will take nearly nine months to complete, with much of the work taking place off the roadway.
The portions of work that will impact traffic will take place in a 10-week window. Both directions of U.S. 54/63 will be open to traffic during construction, but there will be nightly lane and ramp closures. The pedestrian path along the eastbound bridge will be closed to the public while work takes place.
MoDOT will announce all lane closures and signs will be installed to alert motorists ahead of time.
MoDOT is scheduled to open bids on the project in January.
The existing eastbound bridge was constructed in 1991, and the existing westbound bridge was constructed in 1955. Each bridge carries approximately 26,000 vehicles per day, according to MoDOT.
MoDOT spokesman Adam Pulley said this project is different than the work that was done to remove the oil paint and apply new paint on the westbound bridge in 2016, when the bridge was closed for four months.
"This project won't have the impact on the traffic that the 2016 project had," Pulley said. "This is a bigger project than 2016. We don't have an estimate on when it will start, but we want to get started as soon as possible. We've estimated the project will cost $4.2 million."
Motorists and area residents can find more details, ask questions or provide feedback on the project at modot.org/JeffCityBridges. An online public comment period is open through Nov. 16.