Traffic delays likely on I-435 bridge over Missouri River as work begins this weekend
Drivers who typically use Interstate 435 to cross the Missouri River on the east side of the Kansas City area may want to consider an alternate route this weekend.
Prep work gets underway Friday night for a rehabilitation project for the Missouri River Bridge, which carries I-435 over the river just south of Worlds of Fun.
The work “has potential to impact Kansas City traffic greatly,” according to the Kansas City District offices of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Crews will close two lanes of northbound and southbound I-435 between Missouri 210 and Front Street from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday so that they can do concrete pier work.
In addition to the lane closures, the ramp from Front Street to northbound I-435 will close at 10 p.m. Friday. The ramps from eastbound and westbound Missouri 210 to southbound I-435 will close at 11 p.m. Friday.
The ramps will reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.
The work is to prepare for a two-year, $32 million bridge rehabilitation project that will get underway in mid-March.
The project was meant to begin last fall, but the project’s planners decided to wait until this spring because of traffic in the area.
The project includes replacing the bridge’s deck, reinforcing of the structural steel girders and repairing the substructure. The work will also include an extension of the acceleration lane from Missouri 210 to southbound I-435, according to MoDOT’s website. Crews will also fill in a scour hole in the Missouri River.
The project will have a major impact on traffic through the area as northbound and southbound I-435 will be limited to one lane between Missouri 210 and Front Street.
“Motorists can expect lengthy slowdowns in the area,” MoDOT said in a news release. Drivers are urged to find alternate routes.
