Express Lane

Sept. 8, 2023

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Old Missouri River bridge at Rocheport to be demolished

Demolition site is closed to the public but will be viewable online

The old Missouri River bridge at Rocheport is scheduled to be demolished on Sept. 10, weather permitting. Interstate 70 will close to traffic the morning of Sept. 10 for the blast to remove the truss of the old bridge. For the safety of motorists and the demolition team, the interstate and a perimeter around the blast, including a portion of the Katy Trail, must be closed and secured during and immediately after the blast, which is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 a.m.

Traffic on I-70 will be stopped in both directions just prior to the blast. Once the area is secured, the demolition team will use a controlled explosion to drop the old truss into the river. Crews will then sweep and inspect the new westbound bridge to ensure all debris is clear before the interstate is reopened to traffic. It is expected this process could take up to one hour. Motorists are strongly advised to avoid I-70 the morning of Sept. 10, from 7 to 9 a.m.

In the case of inclement weather, the blast could be delayed or rescheduled to the morning of Sept. 12.

Viewing locations for the blast are extremely limited, with the majority on private property. To allow the public the best view of this exciting milestone in the building of the new Lance Corporal Leon Deraps I-70 Missouri River (Rocheport) Bridge, the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to livestream the event at modot.org/Rocheport. The demolition site will be a no-fly zone for drones, but the video will be made available to media after the demolition has cleared.

The blast only lasts a moment, but it will drop approximately 1,100 feet of truss, including 6 million pounds of steel into the Missouri River. The demo team must remove the pieces of the truss from the river within 24 hours of the blast in order to reopen the river channel to boat and barge traffic.

Construction on the new eastbound bridge will begin almost immediately after the blast. A $220 million project to build the new bridges began in early 2022 and is on time to be completed with both bridges open to traffic in December 2024. You can learn more about this project on MoDOT's website.

National Child Passenger Safety Week starts soon

As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, the Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety and other local partners will be hosting Car Seat Check events in southern Missouri from Sept. 17-23. Parents and caregivers with small children can ensure car seats are installed correctly by visiting an inspection station listed on the SaveMOlives website.

Construction begins on former Chester Bridge

Crews will begin construction work on the Don Welge Memorial Bridge, formerly known as the Chester Bridge, over the Mississippi River this week. The design-build project will construct a new bridge that spans the Mississippi River, connecting the cities of Perryville, MO and Chester, IL. The project has a completion date of Dec. 2026. Learn more.

MoDOT hosts mock crash to test emergency response

MoDOT's Traffic Incident Management team worked with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, fire departments and emergency services to host a multi-vehicle crash simulation Sept. 6 in honor of Crash Responder Safety Week. The event took place at MSHP's training track and involved diverting traffic, rescuing survivors and then clearing the crash site. See photos here.

Today in Transportation History - Sept. 7, 1985

A new five-story passenger rail station and transportation center was officially dedicated in Santa Ana, CA. This transportation center was the largest rail station to open in the United States in 30 years. The rail service is operated by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, and Greyhound manages bus terminals between Mexico and southern California. Learn more.