Ongoing rehabilitation of the Perche Creek bridges along Interstate 70 in Boone County will impact eastbound traffic this weekend.
Contractors working for the Missouri Department of Transportation will close one eastbound lane of the bridge, located west of Columbia, at 8 p.m. Friday. The lane will remain closed through Tuesday. The lane will also be limited to 11 feet wide with a concrete barrier in place during the closure.
In addition, the eastbound entrance ramp from U.S. 40 at Midway I-70 will be closed during this time. Motorists wishing to travel eastbound on I-70 from Midway will be detoured to the Routes J/O exit to the west.
MoDOT officials said significant delays and backups are likely, and they are advising motorists to find alternate routes whenever possible.
"We know that the closing of one lane of the interstate and the entrance ramp will greatly impact eastbound traffic, especially with the Roots 'N Blues Festival in Columbia this weekend," MoDOT Area Engineer Kirsten Munck said. "These closures are necessary for the safety of travelers on the road and workers on and under the bridge."
Munck said this work is part of an ongoing project to rehabilitate both bridges, including the substructure and the bridge deck. The deck work is currently under way and will be completed first. The rest of the rehabilitation work will continue with what MoDOT officials said were "minimal" interruptions to traffic. The project is scheduled to be complete by December.
These bridges are included in Gov. Mike Parson's $351 million Focus on Bridges program, which will repair or replace 250 bridges across the state.