A new Route 72 bridge over Stouts Creek in Iron County, Missouri—the first bridge construction project in Gov. Mike Parson's "Focus on Bridges" program launched in May 2019—recently opened to one lane of traffic.
The existing bridge was in such poor condition that the Missouri DOT (MoDOT) did not want it to carry traffic through the winter months. Consequently, the construction contract called for the new bridge, which is being built alongside the old structure, to be open to one lane of traffic with temporary signals at each end by mid-December.
The bridge is to be fully completed this spring by the project's contractor Robertson Contractors of Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
According to the governor's office, the Focus on Bridges program was launched by a $50 million appropriation from general revenue by the Missouri General Assembly in May. In July, MoDOT then received an $81.2 million INFRA Grant from the U.S. DOT, triggering another $301 million in bonding revenue for the program that was also approved by the legislature during the 2019 legislative session.
In all, the program is designed to repair or replace 250 of the state’s poorest bridges. The Route 72 bridge is one of six in the program currently under construction, while 43 others are under contract.
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SOURCE: Office of Gov. Mike Parson
Image: Office of Missouri Governor on flickr
