HANNIBAL - Palmyra drivers will be using a new Missouri Route 168 overpass bridge later this year, as well as a new northbound U.S. Route 61 acceleration lane. The Missouri Department of Transportation and its contractor, Lehmen Construction, LLC, will replace the overpass/bridge with the closure of Missouri Route 168 beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, weather permitting.
"On July 31 the contractor will begin to mobilize the equipment, remove the guardrail and install signs," said MoDOT Area Engineer Brian Haeffner, P.E. "The next step will be to remove the existing bridge, and to do this, all lanes of U.S. Route 61/24 will be closed for approximately 24 hours overnight from 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 6, through 1:00 a.m. on Monday, August 7," Haeffner added. After 1:00 a.m. August 7, U.S. Route 61 will have at least one lane open to traffic in each direction at the overpass throughout the project.
Haeffner said a detour will be signed along the route. "The majority of the traffic on this road is local, so they will use their best alternate routes while the road is closed," he said. Eastbound MO 168 traffic, drivers coming from town, will be able to access U.S. 61 southbound, but not U.S. 61 northbound during this time. Westbound MO 168 traffic will be able to access northbound U.S. 61, but not U.S. 61 southbound during this time.
Lehman was awarded the project for $1,485,837.30. The bridge replacement and acceleration lane will be completed by November 1, 2017.
For more information about this project, subscribe to the email and text notification system at https://www6.modot.mo.gov/eMoDOTWeb/jsp/signon/signon.jsp. All Missouri road and bridge work is available online at www.modot.org using the Traveler Map.