Rangeline to close while workers slide bridge into place

Rangeline Street at I-70 closed at 6 p.m. Friday evening,along with the on and off ramps. The I-70 eastbound on-ramp at Providence Road also closed. Rangeline St. north and south also closed for the slide.

The two westbound lanes will then merge over to the left and travel over the eastbound bridge. That leaves just the southernmost lane for eastbound traffic. There is another eastbound lane that will take drivers off the exit ramp and back on again.

“The right lane of eastbound I-70 will exit down the ramp and go back up it,” said Danny Roeger, a construction inspector. “The lanes will be split. The left lane will continue straight on the bridge.”

This allows workers to prepare to slide the Rangeline bridge into place with the help of dish soap. The slide was schedule for 7 a.m. but the crew got a late start. However, one construction crew member told ABC 17 News the slide should be over by noon or 1 p.m.

While there have been workers in the area for several months now, drivers still need to be aware that they’re there.

“We just ask that everyone stays off their phone while driving, at all times but especially through work zones,” said Roeger. “Look for our message boards, we have electronic message boards that can display any message. Those usually instruct you on special situations like tonight, we’ll have plenty out there.”

Depending on the situation, hitting a worker can result in loss of a license for a year as well as a $10,000 fine. Speeding through a work zone is a $250 minimum fine.

A crew member also told ABC 17 they started this closure/slide process on a Saturday to limit the impact to local businesses. The on/off ramps will be reopened Monday morning. Rangeline St. will open back up Tuesday morning according to MoDOT.

Because of the closures, CoMo connect has alternate routes. You can find the changes here.