Work on an $18 million replacement of three Columbia, Mo., bridges over I-70 began. The Missouri Department of Transportation, Columbia contractor Emery Sapp and Sons, and Parsons Transportation Group collaborated on the design and planning for months leading up to construction.
Emery Sapp and Sons project manager Chip Jones outlined the design-build method that the company used to plan the project. It plans to use substructures to build the new bridges and then slide them into place once the old bridges are torn down. The substructures will then be removed.
The Missouri DOT said the replacement process is similar to the one used to replace an I-44 bridge over Gasconade River.
I-70 will remain open during the vast majority of the project, but crews will shift traffic patterns to minimize congestion during the project. Planned closures of the roads affected by the construction include:
- Business Loop 70 and West Boulevard for 45 days;
- Range Line Street for 30 days;
- Garth Avenue for 20 days; and
- Creasy Springs Road for 15 days.
Crews plan to work 24 hours a day to ensure the project is completed on time.
The project has a projected completion date of October 2016.
