Eastbound I-670 in KC’s downtown loop to close overnight for work on Grand bridge

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 670 on the south side of Kansas City’s downtown loop will close overnight Wednesday for finishing touches on the Grand Boulevard bridge.

This will be the last time crews will have to close the highway for the bridge work, which is scheduled to open Friday after a ribbon-cutting celebration, said Kerri Lewis, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The eastbound lanes of I-670 will close between Interstate 35 and U.S. 71 at 9 p.m. Wednesday and reopen to traffic no later than 5 a.m. Thursday.

Crews will be doing cleanup work and removing traffic control devices that were in place on the highway for the bridge construction.

The bridge is expected to open Friday after a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting celebration at the north end of the bridge.

“We are definitely very, very pleased with the contractor for being able to get the work done quickly, safely and on time,” Lewis said. “This is huge because this was an accelerated project. Normally, it takes two to three years to plan, design and clear utilities to get everything in place.”

The bridge was closed in early May after an inspection revealed cracks and falling concrete chunks. The bridge was demolished in August.

The transportation department allocated $3.5 million to replace the bridge, and Kansas City provided $1.1 million in capital improvement sales tax dollars to widen the bridge and do other upgrades for pedestrians, bicyclists and aesthetic benefits.

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Eastbound I-670 in KC’s downtown loop to close overnight for work on Grand bridge."