Bates County – Two Bates County Route B bridges, one over the Marais des Cygnes River and the other over the Bates County Drainage Ditch east of Rich Hill will be CLOSED for up to 360 days beginning the week of September 12, the Missouri Department of Transportation said.
Contractor crews will replace the old bridges with new structures as well as installing new barrier wall and guardrail at the ends of the bridges. Both new bridges will be four feet wider than the current structures. In addition, the new Drainage Ditch bridge will be 40 feet longer than the current one.
Work will be done on only one bridge at a time beginning with the bridge over the Drainage Ditch.
Traffic impacts:
- All lanes of Route B CLOSED where crews are working
- Drivers will be able to access entrances on either end of the bridge, but will not be able to travel through the work zone
- Drivers will be directed along a signed detour using Bates County Route N, Missouri Route 52, I-49 and Route B
- Drivers urged to find alternate routes around work zone
- Signs and message boards will alert drivers approaching the work zone
- Check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map for road closings/traffic impacts
Weather and/or scheduling delays will alter the work schedule.
The bridge over the Marais des Cygnes River was built in 1937 and the bridge over the Bates County Drainage Ditch was built in 1952. Both bridges carry nearly 580 vehicles per day.
This contract also includes rehabilitation of the Bates County Route BB bridge over the South Deepwater Branch east of Butler. That work began in early August and is currently underway.
Project background:
- Prime Contractor: Phillips Hardy Inc., Columbia
- Completion Date: December 1, 2023
- Total project cost: $6.4 million
(For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest)
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