Closures around and on Blanchette Bridge will include KATY Trail

One lane will be closed on the I-70 Blanchette Missouri River bridge from 8 a.m. until noon, Saturday, Dec. 15. Crews will close the right lane westbound to perform some maintenance work. When work is complete westbound, crews will close the right lane of eastbound traffic. All of the work is expected to be finished by noon.

Beginning Monday, Dec. 17, drivers on S. Main Street under the Blanchette Bridge will be detoured onto a bypass while crews remove the old bridge deck directly over Main Street. The bypass is located adjacent to existing South Main Street. Motorists are advised to slow down as speeds will be reduced through the bypass. The bypass will be used off and on depending on the overhead work for the next several weeks.

There will be a day or two when South Main Street and the bypass will be closed.  Motorists will be advised using message boards and detoured to use Fifth Street as an alternate.  The full closures will be minimal.

Cyclists and pedestrians on the KATY Trail should watch for flaggers on the trail under the bridge. There will be intermittent intervals of 15 minutes when KATY Trail traffic will be stopped while the bridge deck is removed overhead.  These activities will go on for the next several weeks.  The trail is open, but users should be prepared for potential 15-minute closures of the trail for safety reasons during the next few weeks.

For more information on the project including images of the new bridge and construction schedule information, visit www.modot.org/blanchettebridge.