SIKESTON—Missouri Department of Transportation contractor crews will begin construction work on the Don Welge Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River this week. The design-build project, will construct a new bridge that spans the Mississippi River, connecting the cities of Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois via MO Route 51/IL Route 150.
In March 2023, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission announced the selection of The Ames Team as the design-build contractor to replace the current structure. Since that time, project staff have been working with the contractor and local entities to obtain all necessary permits.
During the past month, crews have also been mobilizing equipment and construction materials at the work site.
As work gets underway, crews will be excavating the Mississippi riverbank on the Missouri side of the river. Work will include the construction of an embankment for the new roadway, fill, utility work, and construction of a temporary access road over the levee.
Work will be ongoing throughout the project and motorists are asked to use extreme caution traveling through the area. Large trucks and equipment will be utilized and will need to access with worksite. No major impacts to traffic are anticipated at this time. Travelers should also expect to see a variety of utility work being conducted on both sides of the river.
The project has a completion date of December 2026.
Additional details about the Chester Bridge are available at www.modot.org/chesterbridge.
For more information, please contact Project Engineer Zach Lee at (573) 258-3857, MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/southeast.
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