Missouri River Bridge project finished, all lanes open

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced Sunday that both bridges carrying Route 54/63 over the Missouri River in Jefferson City are now open to traffic.

The westbound bridge, which had been closed since May 1 for repairs, reopened Friday. That same day, the access ramp to West Main Street and the westbound on-ramp from Route W to Route 54/63 also reopened.

Crews then had to reroute traffic on the eastbound bridge, which had been carrying two lanes of traffic in each direction while the westbound bridge was shut down. MODOT said that work, which was originally scheduled to be finished by 6 a.m. Monday, wrapped up by 1 p.m. Sunday.

The access ramp from West Main Street to Route 54/63 and the eastbound on-ramp from McCarty Street to Route 54/63 are also now open.

“We want to thank everyone again for their patience during this project,” said David Silvester, district engineer for the MODOT’s Central District. “We now have a newly refurbished bridge that should serve us for another 20 to 30 years.”

MODOT said the westbound bridge still has some minor work to be done. Officials said drivers may experience lane closures during non-peak travel times over the next few weeks.