The Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation announced last week that temporary lane closures on the new Champ Clark Bridge will take place this week so that crews can dismantle portions of the old railroad bridge.
Temporary lane closures will occur as MODOT contractors will cut portions of the old truss into separate sections and then place those sections on a barge to haul away. A barge-mounted crane and road crews will have to close lanes to be able to properly and safely cut the span and have access to the old bridge.
There are three segments of the old bridge that will require the closures and they should begin starting tomorrow and through next Monday. The final segment of the span will require MODOT to close traffic on the entire bridge for up to an hour. That segment’s removal is scheduled for Monday, weather permitting. The time for the closure has yet to be determined.
MODOT also is awaiting necessary approvals to implode two spans on the Illinois side of the bridge MODOT will release information later in the week on when the closure and the implosions are set to occur. The new Champ Clark Bridge opened last month. The bridge is the main roadway between Pike County, Illinois and Pike County, Missouri.