New Lake of the Ozarks bridge to open Sept. 10

A new bridge at the Lake of the Ozarks was dedicated Saturday morning.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says construction of the new Hurricane Deck Bridge is ahead of schedule and officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge Saturday at 10 a.m.

The $32.3 million span, which carries Route 5 over the lake, will open to traffic on Tues., Sept. 10. Pedestrians can use the bridge starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.

MoDOT says the new bridge is wider than the old Hurricane Deck Bridge, which was built in 1936. The new span has two 12-foot driving lanes and seven-foot shoulders on each side.

Construction crews will close the old span on Sept. 10 and prepare the bridge for demolition. MoDOT expects to demolish it next spring.