Bridge project brings Interstate 70 lane changes at Garth Avenue

Crews shut down one eastbound lane of Interstate 70 near Garth Avenue Thursday.

The lane will remain closed until 5:00 a.m. Friday.Crews also closed the eastbound off-ramp to Providence.

Drivers are being shifted to the new bridge over Garth Avenue, which will allow crews to start tearing down the old bridge.

“By morning time, the commuters will have where the old eastbound bridge used to be, the new bridge will be open now,” Chip Jones with Emery Sapp & Sons said. “So it’ll kind of be back to normal instead of having the little detour that we’ve had in the past.”

Jones said even though drivers may be getting used to the construction that has been going on since last August, they need to stay alert.

“Since it’s been in place now, they’re maybe getting a little relaxed so we just need to encourage them to continue to either find alternate routes or obey the speed limit signs through the construction zone,” Jones said.

Crews will start working in the median of the interstate near Garth and Rangeline for the next several weeks, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

“I-70, there’s 80,000 vehicles a day out here,” Jones said. “So anytime you’re working around traffic, there’s always an inherent danger. Sometimes drivers get a little relaxed and cell phones are definitely an issue. There’s always a risk, and so that’s why we encourage people to do the speed limit and if you see orange barrels, pay attention to what you’re going through.”

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers were out on I-70 Tuesday night enforcing traffic during the lane changes.

Starting Monday morning, Garth Avenue will be shut down through Saturday as crews tear down the old bridge.

The $18 million project is expected to be completed by September.