Traffic on I-435 over Missouri River in Kansas City to be affected by bridge repairs
Editor’s note: Because of the possibility of inclement weather, the Missouri Department of Transportation moved up the start of the project by one day. The work now begins Friday.
A bridge project that had been delayed until after the winter months will officially get underway this weekend, making crossing the Missouri River a bit more challenging for drivers on Kansas City’s east side.
Work begins Friday on the two-year rehabilitation project for the Interstate 435 bridge over the Missouri River, according to the Kansas City District of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The project will likely create significant traffic slowdowns for the 81,500 vehicles that uses that stretch of I-435 each day. The bridge, just south of Worlds of Fun, was built in 1972 and is showing signs of aging and wear, according to MoDOT.
Here’s what to expect with the start of the project:
▪ The right lane of northbound I-435 between Front Street and Missouri 210 will close from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday for pavement marking.
▪ The right lane of southbound I-435 between Missouri 210 and Front Street will close from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday for pavement marking.
There will be future additional lane closures.
Bridge repairs
During the $32 million project, crews will replace the bridge deck, reinforce the structural steel and repair the substructure of the bridge. 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.
Prep work on the project got underway last month. The project was to begin last fall, but the project’s planners decided to wait until this spring. They feared a closure during the winter months would make travel through the area less than ideal, especially if there was snow on the road.
Because of the delay, the project is not expected to be completed until December 2021.
Through the duration of the project, traffic will be reduced from three to two lanes in both directions.
During the first two phases of the project, crews will work on the northbound lanes. To maintain the two open lanes, one lane of traffic will be shifted onto one southbound lane.
During the last two phases, crews will work on the southbound lanes. To maintain the two open lanes, one lane of traffic will be shifted onto the northbound lanes.
Because of the delay, the project is not expected to be completed until December 2021.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 1:44 PM.
