The Missouri Department of Transportation awarded contracts for bridge repairs in five counties Thursday. The repairs in Callaway, Cooper, Crawford, Gasconade and Miller counties will cost roughly $4.7 million dollars, according to MoDOT Central District Project Manager Mike Dusenberg. He said that after analyzing the bridges’ conditions, state officials decided to demolish some bridges completely and start from scratch.
“The two bridges in Crawford County that are listed there, one bridge was built in 1928 and the other was built in 1937,” Dusenberg said.
“They are in excess of 80 to 90 years old. So those will be completely replaced.”
He said that bridges are built to last about 100 years, and these bridges were almost at the end of their life expectancy and could become a public safety issue.
County commissioners are working with MoDOT officials and contractors in order to quickly and safely finish these repairs. Callaway County Eastern District Commissioner Randall Kleindienst says the bridges will remain closed during the 2017 construction season, and drivers will need to take detours.
“Public safety depends on our bridges kept up in shape. There was no eminent danger of a bridge falling,” Kleindienst said.
“The state is prepared to do what they need to do to make sure they have safe and good bridges.”