ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com) -
Rush hour drivers who use the Blanchette Bridge west into St. Charles County can expect more lane closures for repairs in the coming years. MoDOT's District Engineer Ed Hassinger said Tuesday the bridge needs a major rehab. That is scheduled for 2011, but in the meantime Hassinger warned, "as that bridge ages it's gonna take more time and more effort to keep it serviceable."
Inspectors gathering data for the rehab effort found a crack Monday in a secondary supporting beam to the bridge deck. MoDOT immediately shut down three lanes and sent in repair crews to add new beams to strengthen the cracked one.
A similar problem was spotted a month ago and repaired. Neither were deemed critical enough to shut down the bridge completely. One hundred thousand drivers use the bridge each day.
"We have a pretty rigorous inspection program so we're pretty on top of all the issues with our bridges," said Hassinger. "You just never know what they might find, but that's why we do the inspections so that we're sure the bridges are safe," he explained.
Funds have been set aside for the rehab project. It is expected to cost $70 million. "We are talking about an entire new driving surface, major structural repairs, and a paint job on the bridge." said Hassinger. "That should give us another fifty years of life on the bridge," he predicted.
Several federal stimulus projects will keep road contractors working this fall. One project starts this week to repave Memorial Drive downtown.
For questions contact 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visit the department's web site at www.modot.org.
Inspectors gathering data for the rehab effort found a crack Monday in a secondary supporting beam to the bridge deck. MoDOT immediately shut down three lanes and sent in repair crews to add new beams to strengthen the cracked one.
A similar problem was spotted a month ago and repaired. Neither were deemed critical enough to shut down the bridge completely. One hundred thousand drivers use the bridge each day.
"We have a pretty rigorous inspection program so we're pretty on top of all the issues with our bridges," said Hassinger. "You just never know what they might find, but that's why we do the inspections so that we're sure the bridges are safe," he explained.
Funds have been set aside for the rehab project. It is expected to cost $70 million. "We are talking about an entire new driving surface, major structural repairs, and a paint job on the bridge." said Hassinger. "That should give us another fifty years of life on the bridge," he predicted.
Several federal stimulus projects will keep road contractors working this fall. One project starts this week to repave Memorial Drive downtown.
For questions contact 1-888-ASK-MODOT or visit the department's web site at www.modot.org.
