Plans for a new Interstate 44 outer road bridge over the Gasconade River west of Hazelgreen in Laclede County will be shared at a public meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6.
The open house-style meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Laclede Electric Cooperative, 1400 East Route 66 in Lebanon. No formal presentation will be made, but Missouri Department of Transportation staff will be available to provide information and answer questions. The bridge designs and other information will also be available on MoDOT’s website at www.modot.org/central.
The project includes building a new bridge on a new alignment adjacent to the existing Gasconade River Bridge, located on historic Route 66. That bridge was closed to traffic in December 2014 due to extensive deterioration.
The contract for the new bridge will be awarded in the spring of 2018, with construction scheduled to start in the summer of 2018. The work will affect the use of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s river access during construction. More details about that impact will be provided as the project moves forward.
Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, MoDOT accepted proposals through Sept. 30 from parties interested in preserving the current structure. MoDOT is now negotiating with Workin’ Bridges, a private organization that works to save old bridges from demolition, to take ownership of the 90-year-old bridge in its existing location.
For more information, visit www.modot.org/central or call toll free 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).
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