HOLT, MO - The Missouri Department of Transportation will begin work on Clay County's first Safe & Sound Bridge, the Route CC Bridge over Clear Creek, just west of Holt, MO. Complete bridge closure is necessary to replace the deck for the 49-year-old structure. Crews will close the bridge Tuesday, July 7 for no more than 32 days, reopening the bridge by August 8.

            LG Barcus and Sons, Inc. was awarded the contract and will begin mobilization on Tuesday morning, requiring complete bridge closure. The 854 motorists using this route will need to find an alternative. A detour will be in place during the closure. Those on the west side of the bridge will be directed to take Route C south to Route 92 and north on Route 33. Those on the east side of the bridge will be directed to Route 33 south to Route 92 and north on Route C.

The Safe and Sound Bridge Program will improve 800 of Missouri's worst bridges in five years.  In the Kansas City area, MoDOT will replace or repair 145 bridges, with 10 in the Clay County area. Complete bridge closure is necessary as it allows the contractor to complete the work quickly and get the bridges back open faster. It also keeps our costs down by minimizing the need for additional right of way and for costly roadway work. Every bridge that's closed during construction allows us to work on another bridge in need of attention. Once the bridge is closed, the contractor has no more than 32 days to reopen the bridge to traffic.

There are 10,276 bridges in the Missouri state highway system - 7th largest total nationwide. Approximately 1,100 of them are in poor/serious condition. The Safe & Sound Initiative will address most of these ailing bridges.

For more information about the Safe and Sound Bridge Program, please visit our website at http://www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity/safesound.htm.

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