Footings of old Rocheport Bridge demolished in Sunday morning blast

ROCHEPORT, Mo. (KMIZ)

Interstate 70 was closed for about 30 minutes on Sunday morning for crews to blast the footings of the old Rocheport Bridge, which was set to happen at 8:00 a.m. but happened at 9:30 a.m. due to dense fog. I-70 quickly reopened for traffic shortly after the blast.

ABC 17 News spoke with Talat Mansour, one of the project managers for the Rocheport Bridge Project, on the phone and he said the person in control of the blast is 1000 feet away from the blast zone. Once that person had a full visual look at the bridge, the blast was able to happen.

The Missouri Department of Transportation asked travelers to avoid I-70 in that area from 7:30 to 9:30 Sunday morning, according to a press release.

For the safety of motorists, the demo team, and the new bridge, a perimeter around the blast area was closed and secured during and right after the blast.

While most of the blast was underwater, MoDot took extra safety precautions. Traffic on I-70 was closed in both directions right before the blast.

After the blast, crews inspected the new westbound bridge to clear out any debris from the blast before resuming traffic.

Last Sunday, the piers of the old Rocheport bridge were demolished, however, MoDot did not inform the public, which caused a lot of confusion for residents in the area. They had heard the loud blast and had no idea what it was due to the lack of information sent.

However, Project Director Mike Schupp said it was a routine procedure, hence why the public was not notified, but residents still would have liked a heads up.

He also said they have done over 30 explosions on the bridge project to date.

Construction of the new Eastbound bridge has already begun. The $220 million project is set to be completed with both bridges open in December 2024.