Taney/Stone Counties – After hearing from the community and looking at the pros and cons for each option, the Missouri Department of Transportation has decided to replace the Long Creek bridge which carries Route 86 traffic across Table Rock Lake between Ridgedale and Blue Eye.
The new bridge will be located on the south side of the existing structure.
Over the past few months, MoDOT, working with an engineering consulting firm, has listened to the community, visited with local and state lawmakers and other transportation stakeholders, studied environmental impacts and the cost of rehabilitating or replacing the bridge.
The best long-term option is building a new bridge next to the existing bridge, which will reduce traffic impacts for the community.
Work is now underway to develop design plans for the future bridge. The plans will be shared with the community at a public meeting planned for this fall. (The full details about the public meeting including the date and location will be announced several weeks prior to the meeting.)
Work on the bridge could begin as early as 2022, with a project budget of up to $36 million.
The Long Creek bridge was built in 1956 during the construction of the Table Rock Lake dam and subsequent development of Table Rock Lake. Urgent repairs were made in early June to keep the bridge safe for travel until the replacement project can begin. The 25-ton weight restriction has been removed from the bridge.
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(For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest)
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