Bridge near Harrisonville will stay closed until summer

Missouri highway officials have concluded that a bridge near Harrisonville cannot be reopened safely with temporary repairs, so it is fast-tracking previously scheduled structural repairs and replacement of the driving surface.

They expect to have the bridge open again by July 1, or perhaps weeks earlier if the weather and other factors cooperate.

The Missouri Department of Transportation closed the East Outer Road bridge over Interstate 49 on Dec. 10 after a routine inspection found continued deterioration of a structural element.

The bridge, which connects Rockhaven Road with Peculiar Drive over I-49 northwest of Harrisonville, had been scheduled forrehabilitation and deck replacement in 2016.

But MoDOT has hired HDR Engineering to do design work now so construction bids can be opened in February.

This story was originally published January 13, 2014 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Bridge near Harrisonville will stay closed until summer."