MoDOT Provides Update on Champ Clark Bridge Construction

For regular drivers of the Camp Clark Bridge in Louisiana, Missouri there is great news to report on the progress of the new bridge construction there. The fear of losing your side mirror every time you drove across the current bridge is about to come to an end.With ground-breaking for the new bridge less than a year ago, the officials at the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are reporting that construction crews working on the new bridge are over 50% done.

"As far as construction goes, we're halfway there," said Keith Killen, MoDOT Project Director. "The piers in the river are nearly complete, and crews have begun placing steel girders that will support the bridge deck”.

According to Killen, work on the bridge deck will begin this winter, and continue into spring, with roadway pavement put in place in the summer of 2019. The new bridge will be open to traffic by the fall of 2019, and the existing Champ Clark Bridge will be demolished before spring of 2020.

While most people are following the progress of the bridge construction, crews have completed the U.S. Route 54 and Missouri Route 79 intersection improvements, as well as an overlook at Riverview Park, both of which were part of the proposal for the new Champ Clark Bridge Project.

When complete, the bridge's travel-way will be 44 feet wide, which is 24 feet wider than the current Champ Clark Bridge. The bridge is expected to last for 100 years and will require less annual maintenance and will be easier to inspect. The bridge is expected to be open to traffic by November 2019.

For more information, go to www.champclarkbridge.com.