HANNIBAL – Last winter, the new climbing lanes on Interstate 70 in Montgomery County at Mineola Hill were completed and open to traffic. A third lane was added to both east and westbound I-70 near mile marker 170 at Danville, providing motorists an opportunity to pass commercial vehicles, without the larger vehicles having to move out of their lane while going up the steep grade hill.
In addition, the project included the replacement of the eastbound Loutre River Bridge. The bridge is complete and now open to traffic. Removal of the old bridge will begin within the next couple of weeks.
“One of the primary purposes of this entire project is to enable traffic to flow more safely and efficiently,” explained Missouri Department of Transportation Project Director Brandi Baldwin.
This bridge was included in Gov. Mike Parson’s $351 million Focus on Bridges program, which will repair or replace 250 bridges across the state.
The Mineola Hill project was made possible by a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant in combination with the replacement of the I-70 Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport in Boone and Cooper Counties.
The budget is $15.8 million dollars which includes preliminary engineering, construction engineering, stipends and the $14.4 million dollar design-build contract. The ESS Team, comprised of Emery Sapp & Sons, is the prime contractor, and Bartlett & West are providing the design services. Information about the project can be found here.