MoDOT to give update about Rocheport bridge replacement project

ROCHEPORT, Mo. (KMIZ)

MoDOT plans to provide an update Thursday afternoon about the project to replace the Interstate 70 Missouri River bridge near Rocheport.

The department and members of the Lunda team, the contractor for the design-build project, will share updates on construction and upcoming goals for the project.

MoDOT plans to give the update Thursday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.

Workers started construction on the bridge replacement project in January after the department said the bridge had reached the end of its useful life.

MoDOT reported the bridge needed major repairs, which may have caused delays up to eight hours on I-70. The department expected the repairs would only extend the bridge's lifespan by an estimated 10 years.

More than 40,000 vehicles travel over the bridge near Rocheport each day, according to MoDOT's website.

Instead, MoDOT will replace the current bridge with two new bridges. The department expects the project to wrap up by New Year's Eve in 2024. However, officials added all traffic is expected to move to the new bridges by spring 2023.

MoDOT said the new bridge's lifespan is 100 years, which includes expected safety improvements designed to decrease the number of crashes at the bridge.

The new bridge will be twice the width of the existing bridge to allow for more movement and reliability. Other features include pavement sensors to lower weather-related incidents and reflective signs along the wall of the bridge.

MoDOT has shared a rendering of what the new bridge is expected to look like on its website.

The department expects the bridge replacement project to cost $240 million.