Jasper County – A recent inspection of the I-49 Outer Road bridge over Center Creek north of Fidelity revealed deteriorating conditions prompting an immediate need to restrict the weight limit to 34 tons for trucks and 19 tons for single unit tandem rear axle trucks crossing the bridge, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
This means trucks heavier than 68,000 lbs. and single unit tandem rear axle trucks heavier than 38,000 lbs. will be prohibited from crossing the bridge.
The legal maximum weight limit for vehicles in Missouri is 80,000 lbs.
The bridge was built in 1926 and carries approximately 1,800 vehicles a day.
For the past several years, this bridge has been inspected every 24 months. As a result of these most recent findings, it will now be inspected every 12 months.
MoDOT is considering options for the bridge.
(For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest)
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